There are many instances in the history of mankind when a nation faced the dilemma of choosing a right course of action for the solution of multi-dimensional problems. The question arises, what has brought Pakistan to the present pass? How can we be a sovereign people?
Pakistan finds itself in the midst of despair, the people entangled in an unending struggle for survival because of runaway inflation, unemployment, and deteriorating law and order vis-à-vis suicide attacks and terrorism. Pakistan faces internal and external threats to its security in addition to an economic crisis vis-à-vis its trade, current account and fiscal deficits. There are many instances in the history of mankind when a nation faced the dilemma of choosing a right course of action for the solution of multi-dimensional problems. The question arises, what has brought Pakistan to the present pass? How can we be a sovereign people? It is important to identify the causes of the degeneration. Only then steps can be taken to remedy the situation. Pakistan is indeed lucky to have been endowed with vast tracts of fertile land, hardworking people and a wealth of resources, but the unfortunate part is that both the state and society remain clueless about how to capitalise on these rich resources. The main reason for the present state of affairs is lack of leadership, which is the root cause of all our problems. The unscrupulous pack of leaders that we have had to endure bartered our freedom for petty, selfish and short-term gains. Our economic crisis is the result of continuous plunder and mismanagement of resources by the leaders whose life’s ambition is to acquire power and wealth at the cost of Pakistan’s interests. In fact, after the sad demise of Quaid-e-Azam, the bureaucracy dominated the scene, and the nation remained without a constitution for nine years from 1947 to 1956. And when a constitution was finally framed in 1956, it did not reflect the aspirations of the people. A lot has been written on the role of the bureaucracy and the majority of the analysts is of the view that Malik Ghulam Mohammad, Iskandar Mirza and Mohammad Ali Bogra were the pioneers of palace intrigues. They were also instrumental in binding Pakistan in the Baghdad Pact (which was re-named as CENTO after the revolution in Iraq), SEATO, and bilateral agreements with the US. This should not have been done, as it is due to the dependency syndrome created from that time that Pakistan buckled under pressure from the US, first to join the Afghan war and then the war on terror that destroyed the social fabric of society. Back then, it was the result of flawed economic and foreign policies that contradictions between the Centre and the provinces became irreconcilable and the then president, Iskandar Mirza, promulgated Martial Law in October 1958. However, General Ayub Khan overthrew Iskandar Mirza after one week and remained at the helm for more than a decade. He, of course, has to his credit some industrial development, but due to the lopsided policies of his government, only a few regions were developed to the neglect of others. Secondly, the gap between the rich and the poor widened, which created disappointment, frustration and chaos in society. As a result of a popular movement, Ayub Khan abdicated power in favour of General Yahya Khan and once again the constitution was abrogated. However, Yahya Khan held elections in 1970, which were contested on the slogans of provincial autonomy and socio-economic justice. Both the PPP and the Awami League swept the elections in West and East Pakistan respectively. The Awami League, however, had emerged as a single majority party but Yahya Khan did not transfer power to it, with the result that there was an uprising in the former East Pakistan and the country was disintegrated. There was of course an international intrigue behind the dismemberment of Pakistan, but the enemies of Pakistan succeeded only because our ruling elites had failed to ensure socio-economic justice in society and equal development in the provinces. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, which had emerged as the leading party in West Pakistan in the 1970 elections, was asked to form the government. To implement the PPP manifesto, he nationalised various sectors of industry including banking and insurance, which should not have been done because it stymied the progress and discouraged local and foreign investment. As a result, the industrial and business class and traders turned against him. Late Bhutto’s achievements were holding of the Islamic Summit to unite the Muslim Ummah, and of course the development of a nuclear programme, which deterred India from its designs to further disintegrate Pakistan. A movement by the ‘religious right’, arguably supported by the US and the West, had provided an opportunity to General Ziaul Haq to overthrow an elected government and promulgate Martial Law in 1977. Late Ziaul Haq had promised to hold elections within 90 days, but the nation had to wait for eight years to see the elections in 1985, and that too were held on non-party basis. After the former Soviet Union’s army had occupied Afghanistan, he made Pakistan the frontline state to curry favour with the US. It should not have been done because the US emerged a sole superpower as a result of Pakistan’s support, and then wished to run the world according to its whims and fancy. The CIA had launched its largest covert operation to oust the Soviet army from Afghanistan. It was reported that about 100,000 Muslim mujahideen from all over the world were facilitated — funded and armed by the CIA — to come to Pakistan’s tribal areas to fight the ‘infidels’. After the withdrawal of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the US ditched Pakistan and its allies in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan has suffered a lot in playing host to 3.5 million Afghan refugees, and continues to face death and destruction due to acts of terrorism from Peshawar to Karachi as a result of wrong decisions. After General Ziaul Haq along with other generals lost his life in the C-130 crash, elections were held in 1988 on the basis of party affiliations. Political analysts held the opinion that if the political process had been allowed to take its course, democracy would have taken roots in Pakistan. From 1985 to 1999, five elections were held but none of the governments could complete its term, again due to the intolerance and undemocratic attitude of the so-called democratic leaders. During the same period, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto never accepted the results of the elections held during 1988 to 1997 in which the rival party came to power. Both parties, however, continued to appease the US and the West by surrendering to their pressures to continue the politics of power and pelf. In fact, they failed in leading the people in their pursuit of political freedom, self-governance, economic independence and the establishment of a vibrant society. After the February 18, 2008 elections, the people had hoped that the partisans would have learnt lessons from the past, but it appears they have not been weaned away from their propensity to stir crisis and internecine conflicts. There is also confrontation between the judiciary and the executive. People are suffering from inflation, unemployment and electricity and gas shortages. This is an ideal situation for a revolution, but since Russia and China have taken the capitalist road, there could only be anarchy, with the result that members of the ruling elite are likely meet the wrath of the people because they have become irrelevant to the masses.
Pakistan finds itself in the midst of despair, the people entangled in an unending struggle for survival because of runaway inflation, unemployment, and deteriorating law and order vis-à-vis suicide attacks and terrorism. Pakistan faces internal and external threats to its security in addition to an economic crisis vis-à-vis its trade, current account and fiscal deficits. There are many instances in the history of mankind when a nation faced the dilemma of choosing a right course of action for the solution of multi-dimensional problems. The question arises, what has brought Pakistan to the present pass? How can we be a sovereign people? It is important to identify the causes of the degeneration. Only then steps can be taken to remedy the situation. Pakistan is indeed lucky to have been endowed with vast tracts of fertile land, hardworking people and a wealth of resources, but the unfortunate part is that both the state and society remain clueless about how to capitalise on these rich resources. The main reason for the present state of affairs is lack of leadership, which is the root cause of all our problems. The unscrupulous pack of leaders that we have had to endure bartered our freedom for petty, selfish and short-term gains. Our economic crisis is the result of continuous plunder and mismanagement of resources by the leaders whose life’s ambition is to acquire power and wealth at the cost of Pakistan’s interests. In fact, after the sad demise of Quaid-e-Azam, the bureaucracy dominated the scene, and the nation remained without a constitution for nine years from 1947 to 1956. And when a constitution was finally framed in 1956, it did not reflect the aspirations of the people. A lot has been written on the role of the bureaucracy and the majority of the analysts is of the view that Malik Ghulam Mohammad, Iskandar Mirza and Mohammad Ali Bogra were the pioneers of palace intrigues. They were also instrumental in binding Pakistan in the Baghdad Pact (which was re-named as CENTO after the revolution in Iraq), SEATO, and bilateral agreements with the US. This should not have been done, as it is due to the dependency syndrome created from that time that Pakistan buckled under pressure from the US, first to join the Afghan war and then the war on terror that destroyed the social fabric of society. Back then, it was the result of flawed economic and foreign policies that contradictions between the Centre and the provinces became irreconcilable and the then president, Iskandar Mirza, promulgated Martial Law in October 1958. However, General Ayub Khan overthrew Iskandar Mirza after one week and remained at the helm for more than a decade. He, of course, has to his credit some industrial development, but due to the lopsided policies of his government, only a few regions were developed to the neglect of others. Secondly, the gap between the rich and the poor widened, which created disappointment, frustration and chaos in society. As a result of a popular movement, Ayub Khan abdicated power in favour of General Yahya Khan and once again the constitution was abrogated. However, Yahya Khan held elections in 1970, which were contested on the slogans of provincial autonomy and socio-economic justice. Both the PPP and the Awami League swept the elections in West and East Pakistan respectively. The Awami League, however, had emerged as a single majority party but Yahya Khan did not transfer power to it, with the result that there was an uprising in the former East Pakistan and the country was disintegrated. There was of course an international intrigue behind the dismemberment of Pakistan, but the enemies of Pakistan succeeded only because our ruling elites had failed to ensure socio-economic justice in society and equal development in the provinces. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, which had emerged as the leading party in West Pakistan in the 1970 elections, was asked to form the government. To implement the PPP manifesto, he nationalised various sectors of industry including banking and insurance, which should not have been done because it stymied the progress and discouraged local and foreign investment. As a result, the industrial and business class and traders turned against him. Late Bhutto’s achievements were holding of the Islamic Summit to unite the Muslim Ummah, and of course the development of a nuclear programme, which deterred India from its designs to further disintegrate Pakistan. A movement by the ‘religious right’, arguably supported by the US and the West, had provided an opportunity to General Ziaul Haq to overthrow an elected government and promulgate Martial Law in 1977. Late Ziaul Haq had promised to hold elections within 90 days, but the nation had to wait for eight years to see the elections in 1985, and that too were held on non-party basis. After the former Soviet Union’s army had occupied Afghanistan, he made Pakistan the frontline state to curry favour with the US. It should not have been done because the US emerged a sole superpower as a result of Pakistan’s support, and then wished to run the world according to its whims and fancy. The CIA had launched its largest covert operation to oust the Soviet army from Afghanistan. It was reported that about 100,000 Muslim mujahideen from all over the world were facilitated — funded and armed by the CIA — to come to Pakistan’s tribal areas to fight the ‘infidels’. After the withdrawal of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the US ditched Pakistan and its allies in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan has suffered a lot in playing host to 3.5 million Afghan refugees, and continues to face death and destruction due to acts of terrorism from Peshawar to Karachi as a result of wrong decisions. After General Ziaul Haq along with other generals lost his life in the C-130 crash, elections were held in 1988 on the basis of party affiliations. Political analysts held the opinion that if the political process had been allowed to take its course, democracy would have taken roots in Pakistan. From 1985 to 1999, five elections were held but none of the governments could complete its term, again due to the intolerance and undemocratic attitude of the so-called democratic leaders. During the same period, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto never accepted the results of the elections held during 1988 to 1997 in which the rival party came to power. Both parties, however, continued to appease the US and the West by surrendering to their pressures to continue the politics of power and pelf. In fact, they failed in leading the people in their pursuit of political freedom, self-governance, economic independence and the establishment of a vibrant society. After the February 18, 2008 elections, the people had hoped that the partisans would have learnt lessons from the past, but it appears they have not been weaned away from their propensity to stir crisis and internecine conflicts. There is also confrontation between the judiciary and the executive. People are suffering from inflation, unemployment and electricity and gas shortages. This is an ideal situation for a revolution, but since Russia and China have taken the capitalist road, there could only be anarchy, with the result that members of the ruling elite are likely meet the wrath of the people because they have become irrelevant to the masses.
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