Philosophy of Politics, Professor Ahmad Rafique Akhtar (English, Urdu)

What is the real purpose of politics? Do politicians exist in Pakistan ?




English Translation
List of Questions;
  1. What is the exact definition and meaning of Politics and what kind of politics, we are seeking in Pakistan.
  2. You have talked about Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and you said, he was another failure?
  3. In pakistan, poets, scholars, journalists are more prominent than politicians, why ?
  4. Some politicians claim, that politics is a sacred duty, do you agree with them?
  5. You took part in politics and people think, you are not a good politician?
  6. Join politics for the betterment of people ?
  7. Is it necessary for every person to take part in Politics, what is your opinion?
  8. Democracy is the only solution to every problem?
  9. Pakistan is promoting democracy in the region, are you satisfied ?
  10. Democracy and dictatorship in Pakistan, what you say? 
  11. What is the opinion of Islam on Democracy ?
Professor Ahmad Rafique Akhtar. Not only in politics but everything has some sophisticated height. Politics is...a person who communicates at a lower level with people's problems. Some persons don't get out of their own-self. Their problems remain inside them. They don't allow the problems to get out of them. Maybe they are less conscious about society. Socrates said man is not like animals he lives in society, so he is a social animal. 

Inferiority Complex

A political worker is, who comes out of his home, walks in the streets, discusses people's problems and help them to solve it. Sometimes, politics starts when a person feels inferiority complex. He want's to show of himself or any part of his mentality in the society. He struggles to decorate his discussion methods. 

After years of struggle, he enters into the field. With his dialogue, speech thought and work he tries to impress people and tell them that he has some kind of special ability to deal with the problems. He delivers a message to the society that he is not secluded from them. I have the ability to lit a lamp in the dark. 

So the beginning of politics is a struggle to conceive the inferiority complex by moving out in the society, addressing them that I am not weak or feeble. 
He establishes himself so. 
[Every inferiority complex needs some balancing power to deal with the inferiority complex. ]
Professor tells us that when people pay respect to a politician, that's a balance of inferiority complex. 
In Pakistan, political people wish to deliver the same respect and status to their children. They have a lot of time and wealth. They cannot deal with the problems of life as much as a simple man is suffering.

Politics of Pakistan, Z.A Bhutto

I think, politics of Pakistan is a system of 'Sher shah', in which every high-rank holder considers his son on the same rank. There are and hazar, dass hazari and haft hazari ranks. Some politicians sits in provincial assembly while other sit in national assembly. Their purpose is same. Actually, influence of people doesn't matter at all. They sit there to highlight their wealth and status. Their real competition is not with problems but with the status of other rank-holders in the assembly. 

Pakistani politicians are landlords. If you look at the statistics, 60%-70% people work as peasants. They cannot say NO their landlord. Their landlord sits in the assembly. Sometimes and somewhere people struggle to break the obedience barriers for some better change. Once in Pakistan people did so by defaming landlords for Roti kapra and makaan. People rejected the landlords and followed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, though after sometime they came to know that they are following another landlord. Z.A Bhutto gave no benefit at all. As a result, people became more depressed. A new and strict system of 'following a leader blindly' aroused. 

Public Opinion and Revolution

If the same public opinion which aroused in Z.A Bhutto's time lasts forever then Pakistan will never see any hold of General. But later Z.A Bhutto realized that he has made a mistake. He gave consciousness of self, consciousness of the country to the people. That inferiority complex which remained inside a landlord's head, now it transfer's to peasant's mind. Peasant struggled two times, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and then with Z. A Bhutto. His first struggle remained successful thanks, God. God blessed them with a new country. Their second struggle was totally a waste, depressant and it alters the system. 

Setback are dangerous

Sometimes set back is the very serious phenomenon. It is very difficult for a common man to participate in the revolution. When he sets his boats on fire and struggles for a revolution then results are no different from the Revolution of France or the Russian revolution. Our people expected the same from Z. A Bhutto but in vain. Their whole struggle badly failed. They took risk of everything, life, status, lands but nothing happened. Now we see, as a result of all this, landlords, became more powerful. Politicians became more diverse and wealthy. Now I see, the third generation of present politics belongs to same landlords. We can't see anything new in them. It's all a waste. 

Education System of Musharraf

Degrees don't play an important role in the creation of an educational environment. Pervaiz Musharraf struggles to collect graduate degree holders in the assembly. But he has killed the assembly environment. He said, "I have educated assembly member", now he is teaching them slavery. He taught them to obey instead of making choices like a learned man. He delivered a message that although you have degrees now, but you have to work like your forefathers by obeying one person. I was amazed to see this new assembly structure. In older times, a non-graduate assembly may produce few men of character but now this graduate assembly has none. 

We see people became depressed and they hate politics but they have no choice but to participate with them.

Suppose, all the Pakistani politics has just one law, that is three years jail if you change your political party, or you can change the party by resigning from 

your constituency. You won election with A party, became member of assembly now you moved to B party then again go to your people with a tag of B party, re elect yourself again. But it won't happen in Pakistan. More than the mere politician, we need the intellectual politician with complete understanding, in fact a philosopher-politician. 

Sadly, after Quaid Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, we won't see any delicate politician. But our politicians has introduced a system of inferiority and fear.

We are changing us with politicians. We accept every kind of change. It keeps happening and some politician lease Pakistan to Great Britain, we won't resist at all. I see, people prostrating before our politicians instead of prostrating before God.