“The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.” Bertrand Russell
A careful examination of contemporary Pakistan presents a bleak picture and objective analysts have been sounding alarms about Pakistan’s overall economic, social and political health for a while, but now, it seems that the Pakistan’s stability has started to shudder. Time has really come for the country to seriously examine situation and chart a realistic future course, if the goal is to avert catastrophe for Pakistan’s next generation. Otherwise, it is quite obvious that serious challenges are threatening Pakistan’s very existence and if urgent steps are not taken, the country might cross the point of no return.
No question, the country faces gargantuan problems in the areas of energy shortage, water shortage for drinking and irrigation despite the massive floods, economic stagnation, out of control population, terrorism, unbelievably high deficits and debt, non-existing tax base, increasing intolerance within the society, continued division along ethnic and religious lines (think of Hazara Province and the troubles in Karachi and Sialkot), massive migration of talent out of Pakistan towards Europe, North America or wherever there are opportunities and the list goes on and on. Today’s Pakistan needs herculean efforts to guide the country in the direction that would provide stability, prosperity and equal opportunities for all, while keeping the country on even keel in the meantime. And for anything meaningful to take place within Pakistan, it is critical that the country is running on all cylinders.
So, it is really time to start with the basics.
To start, the country must sincerely analyze the role of political parties and how these parties have performed during democracy or dictatorship. A very serious case can be made that unless and until Pakistan’s public grasps this basic concept that elected officials, that is people who get elected, are responsible for formulating public policies that are in the interest of their constituents as well as the state, the country will continue to deteriorate. In other words, without honest, hardworking and middle of the road politicians, it is incomprehensible to expect change for the good of the country.
In order to elect the right party and the ideal candidate for the country and every constituency respectively, the responsibility rests with Pakistanis and they will have to scrutinize every candidate and carefully evaluate every political party, before blindly voting for people based on ethnicity, religion, geography or family connections or pressure. And, the process of appraisal begins as soon as the parliament convenes and the public must demand answers from their representatives about their performance. If the parliament or the elected officials fail to deliver the results they promised, there is absolutely no harm in firing them and re-hiring new people. Just look at Obama, who won a landslide victory in 2008 and experienced one of the worst political defeats in the history of the United States only after two years because he and his party were unable to make satisfactory progress.
Therefore, it can be assumed, correctly that once reliable people are elected and tasked with steering the country in the direction that should result in peace and prosperity for all, Pakistan should consider defining a permanent role for Pakistan’s army in developing and carrying out long term strategic objectives beneficial for the country. Those who oppose army’s involvement in politics must recognize that Pakistan’s army has been involve with state’s affairs for so long that is just not practical to expect that the army will role back its role all of a sudden.
Unfortunately, the severity of Pakistan’s current crisis dictates that everyone accepts reality and instead of arguing about the mistakes that are brining grief today, the country must move forward to avoid future challenges.
Next, the issue of religious aggression damaging the country has to be addressed candidly. History has proved, repeatedly, that terrorism is never the answer for political, social or religious grievances. Violence has always failed to advance the case or win support, let alone force nations or countries to give in to intimidation.
Based on historic data pointing against sadism, Pakistanis, especially those who cheer Taliban attempting to annihilate societies are obligated to examine the evidence and give up supporting the ideology of hate that is brilliantly wrapped in religion. No religion, including Islam preaches violence or hate and Pakistanis should support those who talk about brining people, societies, cultures and religions together. Those who discuss conquering rest of the world, fighting with everyone in the world, teaching a lesson to the world are living in universe that is outside the norms of civilized society. These preachers of extremism must be rejected without any ifs and buts, if Pakistanis are interested in living peacefully.
Once Pakistan corrects the process of electing the people, who embrace cooperation and pluralism, and who are not afraid to accept responsibly for Pakistan’s abysmal state of affairs instead of finding escape goats to shift blame (India, Israel and America are no longer viable to blame for Pakistan’s failures), the country will at the very least, stop sliding towards disaster.
It should be remembered that Pakistan’s current situation is not the result of one government’s failure and it will take some time to rectify decades of mismanagement that has brought Pakistan into a very difficult situation.
The people of Pakistan are desperate for change, but change for the sake of change is only going to make things worse. Everyone in the country has to understand that it will take a collective effort – an effort in which every Pakistani will have to play his or her role to bring back the country to fiscal, social and economical stability. Asking, or perhaps expecting other countries to solve their problems is a mistake that must be avoided and in order to move forward and move in the right direction, Pakistanis will have to rise above ethnicity, politics and other divisive issues.
The process of progress in Pakistan can start with a simple question. How did Pakistan get into this mess and what the best way to get out of it? Once this question is answered, hopefully, Pakistan will become a peaceful and prosperous country.
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