In context to Pakistan social injustice is a prevalent feature. Citizens of Pakistan are unaware of social justice concept and its effects on society.
Social injustice’ is a concept relating to the perceived unfairness or injustice of a society in its divisions of rewards and burdens. The concept is distinct from those of justice in law, which may or may not be considered moral in practice. Social injustice arises when equals are treated unequally and unequal are treated equally.
United Nations Declaration on Human Rights says, ‘Every man is a joint inheritor of all the natural resources and of the powers, inventions and possibilities accumulated by our forerunners. He is entitled, within the measure of these resources and without distinction of race, colour or professed beliefs or opinions, to the nourishment, covering and medical care needed to realise his full possibilities of physical and mental development from birth to death. Notwithstanding the various and unequal qualities of individuals, all men shall be deemed absolutely equal in the eyes of the law, equally important in social life and equally entitled to the respect of their fellow-men.’
The values of social justice seem to be rooted in doctrines of religious faith, as well as law and politics. These two themes are intertwined in different ways, and played out differently in different cultures.
In context to Pakistan social injustice is a prevalent feature. Citizens of Pakistan are unaware of social justice concept and its effects on society. Pakistan’s civil and military rulers and elite class have been plundering this country since independence. They have always been claiming that they are pious and others are corrupt. Military rulers in their own way are not playing their decisive role which they are destined to be. The desire for power turns them to jump in the shoes of politicians. Most of the wealth of Pakistan is in the hands of a few feudal-cum-politicians, who maintained their feudal power by entering into politics. The dynastic politics also creates disparity in power sharing where the power rests in a few families even the political parties are more personified than knowing for having particular manifesto.
Today, Pakistan is standing at the brink of collapse where there is a notion developing among the common Pakistanis that the country might vanish from the map of the world if reviving measures would not taken before time. The unkind fact is that poorer is getting poorer and richer is getting richer, the poverty line is stretching, rich-poor divide is widening but policymakers are firm at their point. All governments of Pakistan have always played with the statistics and tell the nation that we are better off under their regime than the previous ones. Even falsified statistics were used to prove their point. Instead of providing justice, improving economic conditions of the masses and decreasing the class difference in society, they are busy in finding legs to stand upon their lies as truth.The ruling and elite class of Pakistan never promoted concept of social democracy that includes a society where all get opportunity to rise, a society without strong class system, policies and programmes to reduce unemployment, welfare society, respect of labour irrespective of their level of education, respect of people irrespective of their family background, culture of honesty, a strongly progressive tax system, generous government provision of non-cash benefits such as education, health and housing, honest and independent judiciary, patriotic society where interests of collectivity are supreme, rule-orientation, constitution is considered a sacred document, religious tolerance, honest civil and military bureaucracy which act within their domains, military finds no room in politics, high standard public sector education, Provincial integration, acceptance of Pushto, Baluchi, Panjabi and Sindhi as official languages along with Urdu, independent foreign policy.
The trends toward inequality in society are not inevitable and can be modified by sound public policy based on a robust version of the concept of ‘equal worth’. Measures which improve the economic status of the least well off, increase employment, reduce inequality and ‘civilise’ the workplace are likely to produce significant improvements for all of us. Conversely, passivity, selfishness and indifference to the fate of our fellow citizens are certain to lead to unnecessary and significant social dislocation. Islam also emphasized on social justice. Almighty God prescribed justice for Muslims to include everything in their lives starting from justice of regime, testimony, treating the family, wife and all people even enemies and foes, God Almighty says in the Holy Quran:”verily! Allah commands you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due, and that when you judge between men, you should judge with justice.’ (An-Nisa: 58), and He also says: “and not let the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety” (Al-Maidah: 8 ).
Social justice is a norm, value and principle of the healthy society and identity of a prosperous peaceful country, one should realise the fact that social injustice does not only affect the life of a common man but also jeopardize national machinery. It is what on which whole system is based on and if it’s unstable than the country would be in line of where now Pakistan stands.
By: Moazam Bashir Tarar
Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
