Daily Times

In Pakistan, all four characteristics of the state, society, economy, politics, and institutions are at the point of inefficiency. It is time to rethink the “disastrous ideas” it has adopted for over 230 million people since its inception and reconsider the “inertia” it has perpetuated. States are like organisms that develop by being fed incrementally and in a gradual manner as the body grows. Sometimes malnutrition and childhood trauma lead to the underdevelopment of the human body. In the same way, there are some flawed ideas in the literature on states that hinder full-scale development. Our state wasn’t able to bloom in full swing because of fault lines at the start of the new state and the underdevelopment of the urgent institutions–civil society and the bureaucratic administration. Efficacious policy consideration and an inclusive institutional framework are the keys to state development, just as medicine is the cure for the growth of the body. Socio-economic and political reforms can restore our lost glory.

It is preferable to consider the political maturity of Pakistan in the first phase of reconstruction. Developing a consensus among all units that can work together to resolve economic issues depends on mature politics and cooperation among the political constituencies. An economically viable state can be constructed by ensuring political stability in the state. Pakistan’s politics consists of a club of disassociation and political vendettas. Pakistan must end political confrontation for the sake of collective progress and development. Despite political differences, all political units within Pakistan can work together for the reconstruction of the Pakistani economy and Pakistani politics.

Our state wasn’t able to bloom in full swing because of fault lines and the underdevelopment of urgent institutions.

Secondly, the institutions in Pakistan share a history of institutional paranoia and institutional rigidity. Institutions are developed in such a way that patronage, nepotism, and extraction are the norm. Countries in the 20th century developed through inclusive state institutions. Pakistan has a history of extractive institutions. Reconstructing Pakistan requires reconsideration of institutional design. The majority in Pakistan has no incentive for collective development because the framework of the institutions we have developed in the last few years doesn’t allow us to incentivize state growth over individual growth. Reforming state institutions and revolutionizing institutional growth will take an hour.

Fatalism and productive paranoia dominate Pakistani society. In the 21st Century, it is vital for the progress of the state and modernization of the thought process that society evolves. We are still defined by fundamentalism and classical ideas. Gender participation is still halted, and religious fanaticism and nationalist romanticization are problematic phases of our collective society. Renaissance in our individual lives is necessary for collective enlightenment.

In the literature of political science, Francis Fukuyama preached democratic accountability for the growth of any state. Expanding the scope of the state is an essential prerequisite to developing democratic accountability for the individual as well as the state. In the true spirit, the state must be regulated by checks and balances. In the same breath, individuals must be checked according to essential parameters.

Technology is the future. The masses of irrelevant classes are growing and we are nowhere. Our contribution at the international level is just restricted to contributing labour in advanced and First World countries. Remittances are good, but access to technology and the opportunity to contribute to science, automation, and artificial intelligence is the future that state institutions should strive for. It is need of Pakistan to expand its tech infrastructure and develop science education. Through this, we will become relevant and essential to the internationalist global society of the future.

Close society resists democratic governance where the individuals are not strong but hierarchies and few individuals. An open society favours all. Pakistan is a closed society that works for the few and the majority suffers because of these few individuals. An open society is characterized by individualism, free choices, and the autonomy of the individual. In an open dialogue, policymakers should reconfigure society. For instance, the discourse on politics in Pakistan is closed. For the last 75 years, few have ruled without regard to political bias. For exponential growth to occur, a society must be inclusive and have multiple, diverse perspectives.

We can develop Pakistan’s organic growth from the outset despite the state’s infrastructural deficit and lack of an organic intellectual class. It is not too late to start. Rebuilding a robust state is the only solution to persistent issues.

The writer is a published columnist.