From: jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca (Nadeem Jamali)
Subject: Re: Elite..... My Foot!
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 14:52:22 GMT
Organization: Technical University of Nova Scotia, Halifax, N.S.
Keywords: Hang loose on the Caboose !

In article <1itsr9INNcoo@shelley.u.washington.edu> shamshoo@shelley.u.washington.edu (Shams Hasan) writes:
>In article <F43703A.93Jan12114453@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp> f43703a@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp (SUPRATIC GUPTA) writes:
>>In article <1993Jan10.033155.24823@leland.Stanford.EDU> arkay@leland.Stanford.EDU (Abdur Khan) writes:
>>
>> |

..... (stuff deleted)

>>Remember the arms race can never end.
>>
>>All the best
>>(I digressed a little bit from the topic of discussion at the end, Sorry)
>
>That is alright. We know you could'nt help it.
>>
>>--
>>With regards
>> 
>>SUPRATIC GUPTA
>
>Dear Supratic,
>
>I have to agree with everthing, except you digression.
>
>Pakistan has a sad legacy of Vaderaas/Zamindaars who hold eighty percent of
>the population hostage. They force them into generation wise slavery and
>keep them illeterate on purpose.
>
>One thing I admire about India, is the way Nehru dislodged all princely
>Haraamqoors, who were controlling large amount of people and resources to
>their personal pleasures.
>
>The wealth made by the Pakistani Vaderaas/Zamindaars is not the same wealth
>the industrialist or businessman struggles to make, twelve, fourteen hours a
>day, seven days a week, come winter or summer. In short, they have never done
>one days of honest work either on their gardens, farms, businesses as a worker
>rather than as a Master/Maalik.
>
>However, as is the case in all areas, not all those people in Pakistan are
>crooks, but, they are the main body against spread of education and development
>in rural areas, which is a threat to their power and influence.
>

How many industrialists go and work as laborers in their own mills? Why should
we use different standards for Zamindaars? True they do not work in their farms
themselves... do you have any idea how much work it is to manage a farm?
Zamindaars have to do at least as much work as other industrialists do.

And your estimate of eighty percent of population living as hostages to Vaderas 
is a gross exaggeration. Most of the people have their small pieces of land
themselves and work there themselves or hire someone. There is a small number
of real big zamindaars. Those are the ones who do not physically work on the
farms. But they do have to manage everything themselves. There is exploitation
of the farmers in the same was as there is exploitation of industrial workers
in urban centers.

I'm surprised you're trying to suggest that rural Pakistan is like some kingdom
ruled by some cruel Vadera's and zamindaars. That's basically nonsense... And
since you and most other Pakistanis on scp do not have any idea of Pakistan's
rural side, it'd be better that you do not make such claims. I agree there is
a problem... in the same way as there are problems in cities. But what you say
simply amounts to suggesting that the people of rural areas have no independent
thinking (as they are slaves). Even the '88 election results belie that. How
come the biggest of these so-called kings got defeated by virtually unknown 
people.

Zamindaars today are surviving only because the non-representative regimes
like Nawaz Sharif's want to take people who do not have any public support. 
Such people cannot go against their bosses because they do not have any 
support from the masses. Nawaz can say at the same time that "he is a well-
known, respected guy in the community." For similar reasons, people in the
urban areas of Pakistan prefer these zamindaars over others... so that the
rural population remains where it is and they don't have to face the increase
in competition. The only people who really are concerned about the exploited
among the rural population are those who have rural links themselves.

>
>Best Regards,
>Shams Hasan.

Nadeem

-- 
Nadeem Jamali                                     jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca
						 
School of Computer Science			  
Technical University of Nova Scotia		  (902)420-7527  
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan