[DAWN] WHAT is the number one problem afflicting Pakistain? Is it a non-functional state or an elitist democracy or a country as isolated as North Korea, or poverty and the powerlessness of the masses? None of these, according to the standard discourse preached by a certain section of the elite, media and the military establishment -- Pakistain’s number one problem is corruption.Leaving aside this fundamental debate, what cannot be denied is the central importance of corruption as a public issue. But what is problematic are the myths which have arisen with regard to the solution to corruption ie the ways of eradicating it. This mythical solution is: the ruthless application of the rule of law, under the supervision of the superior judiciary, assisted by all state institutions (ie NAB, FIA etc.) as well as by the military establishment. Critical to this mythical solution is the unquestionable assumption that the present Pak state is capable of solving the problem of corruption.
Corrupt state: Most states have corrupt officials or some corrupt state elites, or there are parts of the state structure which are ridden with corruption. But countries like Pakistain are different because the state here is not faced with a corruption problem; rather, the state itself is inherently corrupt.