And the Harm Continues...

News:

In a bid to satisfy the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Pakistani government has announced the immediate lifting of import restrictions. However, both the business community and analysts believe that this move alone will not bring significant changes to practical business activities unless foreign exchange reserves are significantly bolstered. (Tribune)

Comment:

Pakistan since its creation has been in a state of economic crisis and is further sinking into the poverty trap. In fact, this poverty is induced by the inefficient and deceptive leaders ruling over Pakistan and other third-world countries. These countries were left in debris and given a nation-state status after being colonized and robbed by the current designers with loans and lending-based poverty traps. The economic system that is applied in Pakistan is creating a self-reinforcing cycle of poverty. Pakistan joined the IMF in 1950 in the midst of fiscal difficulties. In 1958, Pakistan became the first country to seek assistance from the IMF. Be it a democracy or military rule, secular or conservative, everyone bowed down to IMF and the World Bank. After Ayyub, it was an unstoppable approach adopted by every ruler, and this only brought harm to the people. and this only brought harm to the people. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has announced raising a further Rs215 billion in new taxes. The burden of these taxes hits the less privileged harder while the rich and influential evade or only pay a little amount. Inflation in the country has crossed the limits and there is an insane hike in the prices of food items.

Rasool Allah (saw) said: «لا ضرر ولا ضرار» “There should be neither harming (darar) nor reciprocating harm (dirar).”
The serving Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif has already said at the beginning of the year 2023 that the conditions we will have to agree to with the IMF are beyond imagination. But we will have to agree with the conditions.” 2023 will mark the 76th anniversary of the making of Pakistan but we see constant social, moral, intellectual, and economic regression. The reason for this constant decline is not following the idea behind the creation of this country, which was to have a State based on the Islamic ideology that will further be the umbrella for all the scattered parts of the Muslim Ummah. Muslims of the Subcontinent may have achieved physical independence and moved together into a Muslim-majority area but things did not go any further from there. Thus, this nation-state turned into a prison for Muslims where prices of commodities to the supply of facilities are dictated by the ones who granted us the status of freedom. Thus, Pakistan right now may be facilitating the Capitalist powers but it does not have an ideology that it follows. The capitalist economic system has only one target and that is increasing the country's total wealth, and achieving the highest possible level of production and utmost luxury for individuals. Under the current global capitalist order, institutions like IMF make money by enslaving Third-World countries through loans that they will never be able to pay off. The IMF is itself a political institution, it is managed by politically appointed individuals from member nations, and the political interests of its members influence its decisions. This is why we see IMF acting as the USAs foreign policy tool.

The Islamic economic policy emanates from the Shari’ah (Qur’an and Sunnah) and its success or failure is not measured by profit and loss. Instead, it is measured by the standards of halal (permitted) and haram (prohibited) and it focuses on the distribution of wealth and forbids hoarding. The circulation of wealth brings prosperity and creates opportunities for the people.

Muslim lands must draw an economic policy emanating from the Islamic Aqeedah. Any other economic policy is defective, not just for economic stability but even if one is getting benefits from another economic ideology that is against Islam then he or she is being disobedient to Allah (swt), nor will drawing and attempting to implement it result in anything other than increasing economic problems, impoverishing the people, perpetuating decline and troubles. Thus, the Islamic lands' economic policy must be an Islamic economic policy as it has always been. The establishment of Khilafah on the method of prophethood will help Muslims regain their lost honor and glory. We as Muslims must remember that our success depends on the obedience of the Almighty, not on a move that will help us live the moment but push us towards the anger of Allah (swt). We the Muslims of Pakistan refuse to be further manipulated and reject being a victim of any IMF deals.

Allah (swt) said,

[وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ]

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely bestow power on them in the land even as He (swt) bestowed power on those that preceded them.” [TMQ Surah An-Noor 24:55].

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Ikhlaq Jehan