Senior actor and singer Khalid Anam has openly spoken about the pressing need for Pakistanis to reform their moral and ethical standards. In a recent episode of the FHM Podcast, he criticized the country’s excessive reliance on symbols like Quaid-e-Azam while simultaneously overlooking systemic corruption.
Anam highlighted the irony in Pakistan’s social landscape: “Wherever there is a large portrait of Quaid-e-Azam, the amount of bribery is often the highest,” he remarked. He emphasized that Pakistanis tend to respect the image of the nation’s founder more than the ethical principles he stood for.
Drawing an analogy with health, Khalid Anam explained that just as children are vaccinated to protect them from diseases, Pakistan needs to strengthen its “moral immune system” to guard against ethical decay. According to him, the lack of strict enforcement against wrongdoers has allowed corruption to thrive, as society continues to prioritize money and superficial respect over justice and integrity.
He also cited the book of Quaid-e-Azam’s close friend Kausji, which mentions that if Muhammad Ali Jinnah had known how people in Pakistan would behave, he might never have created the country. Anam stressed that this observation was not his personal opinion but a reflection of Jinnah’s friend’s insight.
Khalid Anam criticized the dysfunctional state of public services, noting that even ambulances in Pakistan are often non-functional, leading to repeated tragedies during funerals and emergencies. This, he said, further reflects how the respect for money and status overshadows the values of law, service, and ethics.
In conclusion, Anam called for a cultural and moral awakening, emphasizing that Pakistanis must realign their priorities to honor the true vision of Quaid-e-Azam—not just his image—by upholding ethics, honesty, and accountability across all sectors of society.
