‘also known as Bill Gates of Pakistan’

From a mere clerk in the Military Engineering Services to becoming the owner of one of the
biggest housing society of Pakistan, Malik Riaz’s journey was full of obstacles but he swept
through them all. Contrary to most people, he had gotten the hang of the entire system of
attaching “wheels” to the files and had managed to make powerful acquaintances in a short
period of time. There is no denying the fact that he is a self-made person, unlike most of the
businessmen of his stature who have had the privilege of having an already powerful background
to support them. However, promoting and building one’s reputation in the society through
unethical practices and behaviour can and should not be justified.

Now, if I ask myself whether I would like to be a businessperson like him, my ethical self would
never come to terms with making bribery a way of life and would always say no. I completely
understand and accept the fact that our system is internally flawed and to be successful like
Malik Riaz one would unwillingly have to dirty their hands. However, at the same time I also
strongly believe that change starts from a single person/household and spreads throughout. Just
like Malik Riaz is one of the many to portray and set an example that bribery and unethical
‘trade-offs’ are the only way to run a business in our country, there would have to be someone
who would have to take a step forward and show people the way to be equally successful
through adopting ethical business practices. I, for one, would like to be that one person to take a
leap of faith and become a role model for everyone who wants to be a successful entrepreneur
through a proper channel. I do not believe in sacrificing one’s morals and values just to grab
temporary power as power acquired through the wrong channels never lasts long.

Moreover, in contrast to popular belief that his wrongdoings were reciprocated with his good
deeds is not justifiable. Even though there were many instances where he helped the distressed
with the power that he had acquired but at the same time he also took away privileges from
others through illegally grabbing their lands just for his own benefit, hence, cancelling out the
“positive” impact that he had on the society. Many of my peers might also believe that in order
to bring about substantial change in the society, one needs to have a considerable amount of
power. However, in my viewpoint there are two ways of changing the corrupt system; either
through the one stated formerly or through adopting the ethical approach and setting the right
example.
Henceforth, when asked what I would have done while being in his position; I would not have
taken the shorter route to success. I would have stayed true to my morals and values even if
reaching the same level as Malik Riaz would have taken me double the amount of time. As by
the end of it all, I would have been able to set precedence for the people who want to be
righteous in their dealings but cannot find the right starting point. I strongly believe that staying
true to oneself and being just with the people always bears fruit however delayed and
challenging the journey might be. Practically speaking, I would abide by the law and acquire
land through a proper legal channel and not violate the rights of my fellow beings through illegal
practices. I would never show the society ways to weaken the judicial system that could make or
break a country. Instead I would use the money, that was used for bribery in the case of Malik
Riaz, to hire a competent lawyer who would help me with acquiring land legal and with multiple
other legal matters involved.

If I were to compare Malik Riaz Hussain’s story to another CEO, I would compare it to Syed
Babar Ali. The main difference between these two-business magnates is in the upbringing. Syed
Babar Ali was born in a privileged family with a silver spoon, and on the other hand this was not
the case with Malik Riaz- he was born in a lower class. Another difference lies in the fact both of
them are successful, but the means to ends or where these businessmen are at present, are
different. At the same time, I believe that the amount of data at odds with the business dealings
of Malik Riaz is plenty, and we don’t have the same amount of resources for Syed Babar Ali.
And, this brings to a similarity. I have a firm belief that in Pakistan where the corruption
perception index is 120 out of 180, one cannot succeed without bribery. Hence, both of them
might have given bribery at the start of their entrepreneurial journeys. However, I believe that
bribery is a part of the Pakistani system, but the way Malik Riaz is leading his life by killing and
land grabbing is not the solution.

Evaluation of Malik Riaz using Conventional Ethical Framework

The Deontological Perspective

Deontological ethics focuses on the actions or intentions rather than their consequences. It states
that the goodness of an action should be based on whether the action itself was right or wrong. In
the case of Malik Riaz, his intentions could clearly be depicted through his immoral actions. His
only intention seemed to be to acquire power but in order to build his reputation as a good doer,
he needed to do all the charitable work. However, one can never correctly judge another person’s
intentions but being unfair with some people only to become a helping hand to the rest does not
make sense and cannot be justified.

The Justice Perspective

This perspective revolves around being respectful towards the legal system and taking decisions
that are morally right and have a negative impact on very few people. From the birth of his
business to date, Malik Riaz’s decisions have adversely affected the most amounts of people. He
does not have the slightest amount of respect for the judicial system instead he has always
violated it and attempted that bribing it. On most occasions, his decisions have surpassed all
moral grounds. He has attempted at violating the rights of the very citizens whom he has
attempted to help at other times just to maintain his “brand image”.

The Relativist Perspective

This theory basically promotes the idea that if a certain action is deemed morally correct in a
society then it is justifiable. Majority of the people possess a similar mindset and believe that if a
certain action has become a norm in a society then anyone can get away with acting the same
way. As it is known that almost all of the sectors in Pakistan are built and run through bribery,
corruption and manipulation, Malik Riaz thought that his unethical ways would also be tolerable
in the society. Hence, he fits in the relativist category impeccably.

The Teleological Perspective

The teleological perspective states that an action is ethically correct if it brings maximum benefit
as compared to the loss it creates as a result of employing ways to achieve the said goal. Malik
Riaz’s actions have brought about a greater loss to the society as compared to the gains that it has
created. The greatest loss to the society was when he portrayed how one can procure power and
wealth through bribery, extortion and manipulation and then use the same wealth to help the
distressed in order to reciprocate one’s immoral actions. Secondly, he showed how weak the
judicial system of our country is that can also, easily be subjected to bribes and influenced to
one’s benefit. Judiciary is the foundation of a country that was weakened by Malik Riaz.

Islamic Ethical Framework

According to the Islamic ethical framework, one’s actions are judged through intentions.
Although one’s actions can depict the true intentions but none other than Allah (SWT) knows
best of the intentions a person has while executing an action. Being humans, our knowledge and
skill to comprehend a situation is equal to a droplet in the sea. We can never fully evaluate the
intentions a person carries in their heart. If we refer back to Islamic history, many wars fought in
the wake of spreading Islam brought about ample of bloodshed and destruction, but the end goal
was always to benefit the Muslim world. Hence, good intentions can also sometimes cause
atrocities at first but bring about good at the end of it all.