Daily Times

The world media cries over the failure of Pakistan as a state. Naturally, all who love the country get disturbed. They wish for the world to see the positives of their land. They want the world to acknowledge that the country has the world’s seventh largest coal reserves, estimated at 175 billion tonnes, in Thar. These reserves alone are capable of generating 100,000 MW of electricity over the next 200 years. They wish the world to acknowledge that this country has the second largest natural gas infrastructure in the world, exceeded by only the US, beating all other industrialised countries such as Germany, France, the UK and Australia. They want people to know that this is a country with a shipbuilding capability that now manufactures submarines as well. That it has a reasonably independent media that is learning to live with its independence, responsibly. That it has a road network that includes motorways and expressways, and is a country that is a member of the aerospace club, producing fighter jets that were recently displayed in Dubai at an international air show. They want people to know that it is a country with heavy electrical and mechanical production capability, which can produce industrial manufacturing plants. That it is a country that has achieved a cellular mobile penetration for over 50 percent of its population. That it has a youth percentage (15 to 24 years) of 21.7 percent who can form the driving force for its development. They want others to acknowledge that Pakistan has a rich tradition in music with the majority of South Asia’s mastersingers and musicians in all genres being Pakistanis. Nusrat Fateh Ali, Iqbal Bano, Farida Khanum, the maestro Mehdi Hassan, pop music pioneers in the subcontinent Nazia and Zoheb, bands such as Junoon, Fuzon or solo performers like Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali all belong to this land. That Pakistan has produced such master artists as Sadeqain, Chughtai, Allah Baksh and Shakir Ali, whose work is not only recognised here but also figures at many art auctions all over the world including Sotheby’s and Christie’s. When will people know that it is the country where Abdul Sattar Edhi’s NGO operates the world’s largest charity ambulance service? That the Physics Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam, whose work on the grand unification theory and the God particle is the basis of global research, was a son of this soil.

Then, reality sinks in and our attention is drawn to the harsh fact that we have allowed whatever we have achieved to be taken hostage by the forces of extremism that rule the roost and have made our country a laughing stock in front of the entire world. Our adversaries taunt us by saying that Pakistanis themselves are enough to destroy the country. Pakistan needs investment for development and money goes where it multiplies. The extremists have ensured that their actions create an environment conducive to militancy so that little investment flows in and unemployment multiplies. Unemployed and desperately poor youth, brainwashed with pseudo-religious ideas, provide a continuous supply of suicide missionaries who act as living weapons of terror, killing the innocent and shunning the sane minded away to other places for their investments. This obliterates any opportunity for economic development and the employment it creates.

The presence of seminaries that promote religious hatred keeps this vicious cycle going. We, the silent majority, have allowed the forces of extremism to fragment our society as we have let our past leaders fall prey to political expediency. These short sighted leaders allowed the far right to reassert itself again in 1974 after being routed by the government response to the 1953 anti-Ahmedi riots in Punjab. We then allowed our leaders of the day to orchestrate the creation of militant outfits as a foreign policy extension. This landed us in a war that was not ours and, with the withdrawal of the troops of the then Soviet Union from Afghanistan, members of the outfits that we helped create became available to the highest bidder to do their dirty work.

In rich Saudis and Yemeni individuals, who had ideas of global domination for their extremist ideology through militancy — including terrorism — these mercenaries found their new paymasters. At the desire of these Saudi and Yemeni individuals who had formed the organisation al Qaeda a few years before, these mercenaries turned their guns towards Pakistan when it rightly decided to side with the world and started fighting the forces of terror. Unfortunately, by the time we changed course after the terror attack on the US in 2001, a full generation had been allowed exposure to our affair with extremism, which started in 1974. This has meant that we, as a society, are divided in our response to acts of extremism; only the terrorists benefit from the absence of a united stand for their elimination. Resultantly, while the terrorists strike with impunity, we are divided in our response. The resultant fractures in society can cause an implosion and this is a real cause of worry for all who love this country.

The silent majority of this country wishes to see Pakistan as a progressive country putting in its share towards global development. This silent majority only needs to assert itself. The prophets of doom will never have their day if this majority stands up and says no to the extremists. The silent majority does not ascribe to the ideology of the extremists. It just needs to prompt and prod the government to fight back aggressively. Elimination of extremism will create a secure environment for its entire people. Women in all areas of Pakistan will be free to seek knowledge and work if they so choose. All sections of society will have the right to practice their religion. This freedom and security will bring in investment and result in the Pakistan that was the dream of our founding fathers. These words of the great poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz should resonate in the minds of all who wish the country well: “Do not grieve. This pain will cease. Friends will return. Wounds will heal. Do not grieve. Do not grieve. Day will dawn. Night will end. Clouds will burst. Do not grieve. Do not grieve. Times will change. Birds will sing. Spring will come. Do not grieve. Do not grieve.”

The writer can be reached at thelogicalguy@yahoo.com