If we were to conduct a survey to find out which business in our country fetches the most handsome profits, there is going to be a tie between hoarding-cum-blackmarketing and syndication of crime for the second place. The first position is going to belong to ‘politics’ without an iota of doubt.
So far above the rest is this highly rewarding and lucrative business that all those in mentionable competition will have to combine their maximum profitability to match its incredible returns.
There is a great deal of talk about corruption and its rich benefits, returns and rewards, but the question to be answered in this context is whether corruption can produce the desired ‘results’ without the beneficial patronage of those in the business of politics.
A bureaucrat has his or her limits. He or she cannot go for unlimited returns, even if he or she decides to break all moral and legal barriers in the way of reaping rewards for the use of his or her authority. But a politician in the seat of authority, or in a position to negotiate the price of his loyalties and support can make even a Bill Gates gasp in wonder and envy.
No yardsticks are available to measure the degree of riches, the luminaries of the stature of Mr Asif Ali Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif have reached, but even the lesser mortals in the business of politics have been multiplying their worth and wealth at a fabulous place. Maulana Fazl ur Rahman is a case of classical proportions in this respect. The dextrous competence with which he uses his clout in the pursuit of his business targets is unmatchable.
The irony is that they all speak of high principles and noble goals— and frequently make public pledges to the cause of selfless service of the country and the nation.
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