How to Make Pakistan a Madinah-like state

Two religio-political parties Jamaat-i-Islami and JUI-F and a prominent religious leader have come up with a number of suggestions for the government to make Pakistan what Prime Minister Imran Khan says a Madinah-like state.

However, it is not clear whether it will be possible for the cricketer-turned-politician to take those measures.  

JI Secretary General Ameerul Azeem says as a first step the prime minister should bring himself down to the level of a common man. 

He said the prime minister should raise the living standard of the people and if that was not possible for any reason then he should bring himself down to the level of a common man.

This, he said, was the foremost requirement for the ruler of an Islamic state.

Then, he said, the prime minister should say goodbye to all sorts of protocol in practice at present.

As a third step, the JI leader said, the exchequer should be treated like a trust and not a single paisa of public money be misused in any situation.

Then, he said, all public offices should be given to people of ideology and character, not relatives and favourites.

JUI-F leader and Chief Executive of the Jamia Madnia, Lahore, Maulana Rasheed Mian said the government should give maximum facilities to people to make their living easy.

He said all steps should be taken to make food items cheaper.

In his opinion mutton would be available to the people for just Rs100 a kilo if the government allowed duty-free important of cattle from India.

The second step he proposed was that those involved in Hajj and Umrah business should not be harassed unnecessarily by the FBR and other departments.

At present, he alleged, these people have to face a number of problems when they receive money in their accounts from the intending pilgrims.

In his opinion moulding Pakistan into a Madinah-like state would not be an easy task as the government and people here are not religious-minded.

The rulers, he said, should study the economic system of Islam and do whatever is possible for them to facilitate the people.

Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, a famous religious scholar liked by a large number of ‘enlightened moderates’ because of his liberal interpretation of Islamic provisions, said in a TV interview that he was still trying to understand what the prime minister actually wants to do when he talks of a Madinah-like state. But then spoke about a few things which were the distinct features of the state that existed during the period of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his caliphs.

Mr Ghamidi said during the days of caliphs there was no slogan of holding others accountable. In fact, the stress was on self-accountability.

Then, he said, the Juma sermon should be delivered either by the ruler or his representative, not a religious scholar (which is the practice at present).

Administration of justice gets top priority in an Islamic state and for this purpose the doors of a ruler have to remain open day and night.

If anyone wants to establish a link with Prophet (SAW), he should mould his life accordingly so that people could judge him on that yardstick.

Just an austere life is not sufficient for the ruler, but his doors should be open to the common mortals day and night, said Maulana Ghamidi.