Press Release
Whether it's about floods or Kashmir, the economy or India occupying our rivers
How long will we continue waiting for the so-called international system to solve our problems?!
After the devastating floods in the northern regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, especially in Buner and its surroundings, where hundreds lost their lives and homes, livestock, properties, and vehicles were swept away, new waves of floods are now crossing through the Punjab province, heading towards the Sindh province. Earlier, heavy rains also struck Karachi. We ask Allah Almighty for safety and well-being, as more rain is still expected, while our rulers have not moved a finger except to raise their hands and leave the whole matter to the international system! They are presenting the whole issue as if it is just climate change completely beyond their control, and that if the international system does not intervene, they will be left helpless, as if protecting the lives and properties of the people is not their responsibility but the responsibility of the international system!
As for these rulers, the suffering of millions of people is just another opportunity to collect alms and aid from around the world under the guise of "assistance"; money that ends up in their treasuries. Over the past decade, Pakistan has received between $1.4 and $2 billion annually in "climate finance." Especially after the 2020 floods, Pakistan received $4 billion in 2021. It has already submitted demands to the international system for climate finance that is eight times more than what it currently receives, including $1 billion under the IMF's "Resilience and Sustainability Facility" allocated for climate adaptation and disaster risk management. On January 9, 2023, the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan was held in Geneva, where pledges exceeding Pakistan's request of $8 billion were made, but to this day less than 20% of it has been fulfilled. Thus, instead of taking responsibility for addressing the crisis, the rulers have shifted the burden to the international system, contenting themselves with transferring a portion of the incoming funds to their private coffers.
This issue is not limited to floods only, but reflects the permanent vision of these rulers, who are convinced that the solution to our problems lies in the hands of the international system, and that without it, we have no power or ability to address our problems. Our rulers and policymakers look with admiration at Western decision-making mechanisms and consider adhering to them as a standard for progress, civilization, and professionalism, and most of them have been directly trained by them. It is precisely this "vision" that gives the major powers a means to interfere in our affairs and impose their agendas in line with their policies. Whether it is leaving the Kashmir issue to the United Nations, or delegating the World Bank to implement the Indus Waters Treaty, this is a result of this vision. Whether it is about the current account deficit, the government revenue deficit, or the energy crisis, our rulers - according to this vision - have imposed the agenda and dictates of the International Monetary Fund. Because of this same vision, the rights of various community groups are formulated according to European and American agendas, which provokes frequent protests from the people of Pakistan. Even in the most important state institutions, interventions are imposed under the name of "institutional reform," dictated by the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. As for Pakistan's military and defense policies, border disputes, or strategy towards Afghanistan, they are managed directly by the Pentagon, the US Central Command, and the State Department, while our rulers remain permanently loyal to them. As a result of this vision, our independence has become mortgaged to the international system. The paradox is that these rulers, because of this enslaving vision, try to hide their failure to solve national issues by saying "this is God's will"! If they had the moral courage, they would admit their failure!
In Islam, however, the Caliph is responsible for taking care of all the affairs of the people, and he is not allowed to hand over any of the Muslims' affairs to the authority of disbelief. Allah Almighty said in His Holy Book: ﴿And never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way [to overcome them]﴾, and this verse clearly demands that Muslims not enable the disbelievers to have any authority over their affairs, and prohibits this categorically. The Caliph will reject this enslaving vision and will take direct responsibility for all the affairs of the Muslims. According to the current budget documents, Pakistan pays 8.2 trillion rupees in interest payments. The Caliph will stop using this financial space in such forbidden and illegitimate banks, and instead direct it towards long-term projects to protect the lives and properties of Muslims from floods and other crises. Without removing these rulers, and eradicating the cancerous vision of subservience that they embody, there is no way out for the Muslims of Pakistan.
The Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir
in the Wilayah of Pakistan