Liars and cheats?
Are we a nation of liars and cheats? Not really, would be the response by many. But how come the inclination to lie and cheat is deeply ingrained in the national psyche? Is it just because we are South Asians or because of our own socio-political environment since the first literal martial law in 1954? Let us consider the following before any emotive judgment on the issue. “A country’s potential for success and development is directly proportional to its ability to speak the truth. Do we speak the truth? Domestic and foreign investors will invest if they believe we speak the truth.” Hussain Dawood, Chairman Engro and Dawood Hercules, made this telling statement in a December 2023 speech at the PSX Top 25 Companies Awards in the presence of the caretaker prime minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and many luminaries from the business world — all those lording over Pakistan’s political and economic landscape. With one sentence, Dawood encapsulated Pakistan’s fundamental ailment: hypocritical beha...