Harold Laski once said, ‘A nation gets a government it deserves.’ Does Pakistan prove that saying? Generally, as a nation grows older its politicians become wiser. That did not happen in Pakistan. After 60 years of its existence as a free nation, Pakistan still does not know its future. The nation is so confused that it does not have the sense to understand the amount of shame it’s going to live with if a corrupt and badly tainted person like Asif Ali Zardari becomes the new president of Pakistan. A person who does not have any personal integrity or any amount of intellectual capability! The intriguing question is why Pakistan has failed as a state and sliding backwards towards the Middle Ages? The creation of Pakistan on the basis of religion and its sustenance through Islamic indoctrination has played a disastrous role in making the current mess. This is truly a religio-political quagmire. The basis of Pakistan was so weak and fragile that religious indoctrination was essential for its survival. The myth of an Islamic state, which is nothing but a mirage, has pushed this nation to its ruin. Religion and politics are diametrically opposite of each other, not at par with any pragmatic political ideology. Pakistan played into that myth and is now paying the price.
   If the ideal of democracy was consistent with religion, Islamic Pakistan would not have to see this day. The end result is the proliferation of dictatorship in various forms. The brew of religion and politics is always lethal and Pakistan is a good example of that.
   The politicians basically did not have any politics to do rather than keeping the moribund religious fervour alive. The Pakistani nation is suffering from a serious religious intoxication. Fear has overcome hope. People’s faith in the dogmas is so deeply entrenched in the national psyche that it’s unable to stop Islamic extremism in the country. The real tragedy is its failure to see reason beyond dogmas.
   The so-called moral high ground of religion is so baseless that a corrupt man like Asif Ali Zardari is poised to become the president of Pakistan. What happened to the Islamic morality and honesty?
   Akbar Hussain
   Canada

A front-page news report on August 25 highlighted the proposal for a regulating commission to protect the rights of our migrant workers. I wonder if we are just introducing another layer of bureaucracy as the departments concerned are not doing their job properly. Migrant workers are our second largest source of foreign exchange earning. Unfortunately, they are cheated and harassed all the way, both here and abroad. Unfortunately, as reported, neither the concerned ministry, nor our missions abroad look after them and protect their legitimate interests which should be their duty and responsibility.
   At our end, all recruiting agents must have standard agreement with the migrant workers. The form of such an agreement must be a standard one, prepared by the concerned ministry. A copy of the signed agreement, along with the worker’s photograph and particulars, must be provided by the recruiting agent and kept on record by the ministry.
   Our missions abroad should also be provided with a copy of this agreement by the ministry, where the full particulars of both the local and overseas agents must be provided by the local recruiting agent. They should then follow it up with the overseas agent and the prospective employer abroad to ensure that everything is proper and above board. Our missions abroad must make time to personally interview the migrant workers at his place of duty, at least once in six months.
   The caretaker government should ensure that these measures are introduced at the earliest, and our migrant worker’s rights are protected in all legal aspects. Such gross negligence of this vital source of our foreign earnings cannot be allowed to be left to the whims of recruiting agents whose only purpose seems to be making money from the poor migrant workers.
   SA Mansoor
   Dhaka