In the early days of Netflix in Pakistan, people tuned in to watch hit television shows centred around drug cartels like Pablo Escobar, such as Narcos, Sicario, and Queen of the South. Due to the extreme corruption that permeates all governmental departments, including the police, people developed questionable opinions regarding Mexico and Colombia. Because of the lawlessness and street crime in these countries, friends and family in the US were also hesitant to travel there.
Renowned scholars, such as Francis Fukuyama in his "Political Order and Political Decay", Peter Andreas in "Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America," David G. Cardenas in "The Rise and Fall of the Medellin Cartel," Carlos Castresana in "Cartels and State Collapse: The Political Economy of Organized Crime in Central America," and Paul J. Smith in "The State and the Cartel: Political Influence and Organized Crime," have thoroughly examined the circumstances under which a state loses its grip on power to cartels, allowing these criminal organisations to dominate. After revisiting their works, I was struck by the unsettling realisation that we are experiencing a similar trajectory to what we once associated with Colombia and Mexico.
The recent past of our cherished "Land of the Pure" is replete with instances where wealth and influence have effectively manipulated the state apparatus, leaving ordinary citizens like us feeling powerless and voiceless. We are often reminded that we are merely here to serve those in power, as if we are insignificant creatures with no role in the grand scheme. This feeling is reminiscent of what our biology teachers might say, comparing us to certain maggots with short memories, living in the moment and oblivious to the broader context. It's high time we recognise the importance of not just knowing, but truly remembering the lineage, the bloodline and the genealogy of our elites, ensuring we never forget who their forebears are.
Child Labor Surges In Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule: UNFukuyama posits that law consists of a set of behavioural rules that enjoy widespread societal consensus, binding even the most powerful political figures. He further argues that if these rules are manipulated to favour the elite, the true essence of the rule of law is lost, and the rule of law does not exist, regardless, even if it is applied to the general populace
Reflecting on recent events, one cannot help but recall the controversial acquittal of the senior government official, who struck a traffic warden, Haji Attaullah, at Quetta's GPO Chowk in June 2017. Despite the glaring evidence captured on CCTV and........