IT is not clear where in Pakistan one can locate concepts such as equal dignity and concern for all, which can, in turn, inform or influence the conduct of those who find themselves in the business of governance. The lived reality of many, in fact, the vast majority of us, does not foster an environment that can organically give birth to these notions. It is not a surprise, therefore, that the belief system of many of us accommodates asymmetric and hierarchical concepts displayed in society`s various facets, particularly in governance.

The idea of self-rule or democracy that the people themselves should have a greater say in and control over for instance, in how their neighbourhoods, communities, cities and countries are to be governed has not been viewed as a worthy or even realistic pursuit in Pakistan.

This is so despite the fact that democracy, even if a fiction or not a completely consummated idea, still allows for the idea of a society based on the empowerment of the people the everyday sort, people like you and I. Even if not attainable, or attained in a deficient form, the idea ofself-rule itselfisbased on the concepts of respect, reverence and worthiness, which are shared broadly, and are not concentrated in a single individual, family or rank.

It is, therefore, not merely a matter of being enamoured by the West and importing doctrines from there especially when the West is patronising and abusive in its dealings with the East, resulting in the latter becoming suspicious of Western doctrines. It is more a case of which notions of governance are more palatable for a greater number of people. Surely, monarchies and dictatorships are unable to compete in engendering notions such as equal concern and respect for the people, even if they are said to be in competition to provide greater economic growth.

Such concepts of self-rule probably do not take substantive root because in Pakistan, as in many other places, the vast majority live a life that has been trampled upon. More foundational than poverty and the lack of resources, it is a lack of respect, dignity and concern, and perhaps a defeatist resignation, resulting from apathy, which hinders accountability and fails to keep in check the daily abuse of power, the asymmetry of relationships, the unchecked establishment of dominion by men over other men.

In many rural areas of Pakistan, there are local overlords, who wield power and often political patronage as well due to their ownership of land, or other forms ofcapital, or just because of their ability to use brute force against fellow men, unimpeded allowing them control over fellow men, their tenants, workers, or people otherwise beholden to them, because of the local power dynamics. These local influentials are free to run their landholdings or dominions as fiefdoms. In fact, the more expertly they deploy their brute tactics, the more attractive they are to political parties, and, correspondingly, to others who dabble in power and politics.

These local overlords can have their unruly tenants or workers picked up, brought to their dheras, and thrashed in public to instil fear and manifest established hierarchies in these communities.

Such hierarchies are rigid realities in Pakistan.

Similarly, those working at brick kilns, for example, laden with generational debt and perpetually concerned with whether their basic needs of the day will be met, probably do not have the bandwidth to entertain the notions of how their commu-nities and cities are to be constituted, or the correct philosophical underpinnings for running a government, local or national.

With such little control over any aspect of their lives, with their basic choices dictated to them by regionaloverlords, it is not an alien concept to them that when feathers are ruffled, thrashing, ignominy and humiliation are an inevitable consequence. Not too far from these examples are domestic helpers and the treatment meted out to them in our society. Physical abuse against them is prevalent, even if shielded from view.

These examples may be extreme, but it is only a matter of degree for the rest of us.

How, then, are we to magically find a state or system of governance in consonance with ideas of equal concern and respectfor the people? Those in governance adorn the role of overlord and remind everyone of established hierarchies, only at a larger scale. And it is not surprising, therefore, that we accept justifications around these established hierarchies, as those justifications explain the constrained, subservient lives we continue to live. • The writer is a lawyer. The views expressed are his own and do not reflect those of his firm.

awahid@umich.edu