Atif Kazmi Criticizes ‘Good Governance’ Narrative: “If Running Buses Were Good Governance, Why Did We Need Freedom from the British?”
Islamabad (Qudrat Daily) — Anchorperson and analyst Atif Kazmi has sharply criticized the current claims and narrative of “good governance,” stating that in the presence of violations of constitutional and democratic rights, political restrictions, and repression, merely running roads or buses can by no means be called good governance.
Speaking in his vlog in this regard, he said that if only building development projects were the standard of good governance, then the best governance in the subcontinent was during the British era. The British established railways, an irrigation system, a strong bureaucracy, and a framework of laws, yet despite this, our forefathers struggled for independence against them. The basic reason for this was that political freedoms were curtailed during British rule, gatherings and processions were banned, false cases were fabricated against political opponents, and the interests of the rulers were prioritized over the rights of the people.
شہباز شریف اور مریم نواز کی گڈ گورننس کی بات ہوتی ہے گڈ گورننس کیا ہے
پاکستان انڈیا اور برصغیر میں سب سے اچھی گورننس تب تھی جب یہاں انگریز تھے آپکا نہری نظام ریلوے بیورو کریسی سب انہوں نے بنایا تو پھر کیوں ہم نے انگریزوں کے خلاف جدوجہد کی اس لئے کے جلسے کی اجازت نہیں تھی سیاسی… pic.twitter.com/XkSL0GrAQ2— Waqar khan (@Waqarkhan) September 19, 2026
Atif Kazmi said that if the “good governance” potion being sold by the current rulers were weighed on the scale of reason, then the need to gain freedom from the British would never have arisen. In a free and democratic society, the protection of the people’s constitutional and democratic rights is the foundation of true good governance. In a democracy, good governance means serving the public interest rather than protecting one’s personal interests and power. If running the system by imposing restrictions on political opposition, violating the sanctity of the veil and the four walls, conducting raids, and making arrests is good governance, then this is exactly the same colonial style of rule against which our elders obtained freedom.
