Class Conflict in Pakistan Society Essay

Conflict theorie Conflict theories are perspectives in social science that emphasize the social, political, or material inequality of a social group, that critique the broad socio-political system, or that otherwise detract from structural functionalism and ideological conservativism. Conflict theories draw attention to power differentials, such as class conflict, and generally contrast historically dominant ideologies. It is therefore a macro level analysis of society. Karl Marx is the father of the social conflict theory, which is a component of the 4 paradigms of sociology. Certain conflict theories set out to highlight the ideological aspects inherent in traditional thought. Whilst many of these perspectives hold parallels, conflict theory does not refer to a unified school of thought, and should not be confused with, for instance, peace and conflict studies, or any other specific theory of social conflic Elite Class Def:- A group or class of persons or a member of such a group or class, enjoying superior intellectual, social, or economic status:- First, The fact is that the term and concept, ‘elite’, is misrepresented and misunderstood in this country. Intriguingly, those who are part of the elite themselves carry out most of the anti-elite commentary. In fact, castigating the elite at popular forums is a way to gain legitimacy that could lead to acquisition of greater power. While there is no doubt about the fact that Pakistan’s elite is irresponsible towards itself and the people, it was more interesting to see the gentleman refer to Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Nawaz Shrif as part of the elite. Second, ‘elite’ is not a static concept but is forever evolving. What constituted elite yesterday may not be the same today or even tomorrow. Historically and popularly, the elite referred to the landed-feudal group because this was the dominant group in an agrarian economy like Pakistan’s. Later, as mentioned earlier, other groups were formed. The evolutionary process also meant that newer elite groups emerged almost every decade due to state patronage that replaced the traditional elite and the older ones merged into the newer formations. Third, the elite are not just a group, but also the name of a process that facilitates a constant cycle of change in a society. In case of a powerful, yet easily manipulated state like Pakistan, the process of elite formation is directly linked with the ability of a group to manipulate the state, its power and resources. This means that what may be the middle class or lower middle class of yesterday can be the elite of today. For instance, who could imagine a few decades ago that one day, people belonging to lower middle or middle class backgrounds, like Altaf Hussain, Qaim Ali Shah, Malik Riaz, Humayun Akhtar, Ijazul Haq, or Arsalan Iftikhar will be powerful millionaires and part of the elite. Middle class The middle class is a class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class. The common measures of what constitutes middle class vary significantly among cultures. As Dr Nayab postulates, to answer that question one first has to define what one means by middle class. She starts off by looking at standard economic definitions of what constitutes the middle class and applies a range of these definitions to the data to see how Pakistan fares. She uses 15 formulae, ranging from the definition of the middle class as those with 75 to 125% of the median income, to expenditure from $2 to $20 per person per day, to double the poverty line. Her results differ widely, ranging from a finding that there is no middle class in Pakistan, to the finding that 60% of the population can be defined as middle class. This composite index yields results that seem more intuitive. Dr Nayab found that in 2007/08, 41.9% of the population of Pakistan belonged to the â€Å"lower-lower class† or to be more blunt, the poor. This proportion rose to 55% when only rural areas were considered. Aspirants to â€Å"middle-classism† constituted 23% of the population, while â€Å"climbers† who are likely to get there constituted another 15% or so. The â€Å"hard-core† middle class remained small at 4.3% of the population. But Dr Nayab’s multiple classification of middle class makes more sense sociologically, as it seems more realistic to think of the middle class itself as a series of â€Å"layers.† lower class Working class (or lower class, labouring class, sometimes proletariat) is a term used in thesocial sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs (as measured by skill, education and lower incomes), often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes. Working classes are mainly found in industrializedeconomies and in urban areas of non-industrialized economies. Injustic Injustice is, the idea of not giving each person his or her fair due as a matter of right. Commonly Found Social Injustices †¢ A few commonly found social injustices in our society are: – 1. Unequal distribution of resources 2. Restricted access of common people to the quality education 3. Monopoly of rich class in the political system of the country 4. Lack of basic health facilities to poor5. Non availability of necessary commodities to major portion of the population Place of Women in Society/Gender Violence. With the erosion of social values, the place of women in our society has also been lost sight of. It is most regrettable that gender violence is a common norm of our social culture; more so in backward and less educated segments of our society. Marriage System. Owing to lack of education and following outdated traditions, the system of marriage in Pakistan is being run on the primitive terms of ignorance. Place of women in society makes her rather a scape-goat for any matrimonial affair. She does not have any liberty to make decisions for her life partner less to decide about others. Violation of Human Rights. Pakistan’s record of human rights does not make her qualify to stand high in the comity of civilized nations. Due to lack of education, poor social system and backwardness, violation of human rights is a common norm in Pakistan. And the worst affected of this are the women, children and the poor masses. Class Division of Society. Pakistani society is highly polarized and divided into various castes, classes, religious affinities and political affiliation. This makes it highly vulnerable to be exploited by the elements working against Pakistan. Intolerant Society. We are an intolerant society. This intolerance manifests itself in our social, religious and political activities. Our relationships are characterized by unthinking support. There is little sense of accommodation for rivals or competitors or those who belong to another sect, region or ethnic group, political crisis The political crisis in Pakistan threatens to trigger yet another period of instability in the country. The three-way power struggle between the military, the government and the courts once again exposes the weaknesses of the country’s democratic institutions, say German commentators. The political drama playing out in Pakistan this week took another twist Tuesday when the country’s high court ordered the arrest of Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on suspicions of corruption and nepotism. The suspicions have followed Ashraf for years, but the timing of the announcement now threatens to light a match on the country’s smoldering political crisis. Since Sunday self proclaimed revolutionary leader Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has been leading a protest march calling for the ouster of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zadari. Qadri, a moderate clergyman who has denounced corruption among the political class, has seen a meteoric rise to popularity over the last months. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators joined his protest and packed Islamabad’s streets. The court’s announcement came in the middle of Qadri’s speech on Tuesday and the crowd broke out in cheers at the news. On Wednesday, Qadri once again called for the end of the government. â€Å"If these thieves hadn’t ruled Pakistan, today every child in the country would have a smile on their face,† he shouted to his followers. Meanwhile the country’s normally meddlesome military has been strangely silent in the midst of chaos. That silence has led some observers to believe that the country’s generals are behind Qadri’s campaign. The turmoil comes just weeks before Pakistan’s government was set to complete its five year term, a milestone in a country that normally experiences volatile shifts of power. At the same time violence has been growing with extremists attacking the government and religious minorities.. THE PLANETARY CHALLENGE If an alternative future for Pakistan is not created, the pendulum will continue with collapse always being in the background. Moreover, in the world we now live in, a weakness or pathology in any part of the planetary system threatens us all. Pakistan’s futures are part of the planet’s futures – we all need to transform. Great Game. Pakistan remains a pawn, moved around for the strategic and ideological purposes of the great powers. Whether in proxy wars against the Russians or against 9/11 jihadis or whoever may be next, Pakistan’s capacity to influence its future is low or non-existent. At best, it can only rent out its military, or territory, for others’ battles. In this future (as in the current present), the rental receipts do not lead to even development –they merely enrich those getting the rent, generally the military. The national game becomes not how to transform the great game but how to get a piece of the action, legitimately or illegitimately. Those not part of the money game sing songs of grand conspiracies. These songs take away agency. While Pakistan has a dependency relationship with the rest of the world, citizens have a dependency – child/adult – relationship with the government, expecting it to solve each and every problem, without taking responsibility for their own actions and blaming the government when it fails. At the collective level, Pakistan remains rudderless, evoking the words of the founder, but unable to follow through with action. Economic Injustice A few weeks ago the news was published that the Punjabgovernment had allotted 4,000 yards (or more) for Rs1,000 per person to armygenerals, including Gen Pervez Musharraf. The given argument was that they got cheap land because the area was not developed. The history of this country reveals that undeveloped areas get developed quickly where generals and army officials get land. Are army personnel the only bureaucrats serving this country? What about other people who are working in civil bureaucratic institutions and private organizations? Do they also get so many benefits as do the army personnel?Economic Progress, Stability are key to Pakistan’s future Army interfering in Pakistani politics Many political parties claim that they do not want army to interfere in political issues and that army should be on borders doing its job. Recently there was a long march started by the lawyers and some political parties for the restoration of the deposed Chief justice. the protest became violent when the protesters started beating policemen. Later that night General Ashfaq pervaiz kiyani talked to Prime minister Yousuf raza gilani and asked him to restore the deposed chief justice immediately. After which the prime minister yousuf raza gilani took the decision to restore the deposed cheif justice in front of the people of Pakistan. The decision was welcomed by parties like plmn and pti.All these parties which in past claimed that army should not interfere in politics did not even said a word against General Kiyani pressurizing an elected prime minister instead they welcomed the decision. Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/national-political-issues/23722-army-interfering-pakistani-politics.html#ixzz2IR33Mi2j