Daily Times

Whether you are an armchair pundit or part of the diaspora and these days, perhaps even the local public, at some point in time or another, you will have criticized the Pakistani army for constantly interfering or medaling in internal matters when it should perhaps keep an eye out externally, as that is what an army’s job is, after all.

Of course, Western-influenced ideas and overall biased media coverage loves taking potshots at Pakistan being such an unstable nation since birth, how the army always takes control, and so on…here we go again as they say! Life is about perspectives. If life gives you lemons, you don’t go making apple juice, do you?

Pakistan should be grateful for the one institution it can always count on to bail it out of trouble again and again and that’s the Pakistan Army.

And if you are one of those who loves to bash about the So defense share from the national budget; think twice. Every defense budget of every nation’s overall budget is pretty much its dominating factor.

Considering Pakistan’s population is officially reaching 240m, our official defense budget is just north of US$11b. That is low considering our population and our potential hostile external threats. We are barely in the top 25 globally.

Singapore has the same defense budget, yet its population is Two hundred thirty-four million; fewer people than Pakistan. Pakistan has roughly 500,000 active troops, while Singapore has 45,000 active on the same budget as Pakistan.

Believe me, it is not a national debate over there despite the ratio of troops vs. defense budget spending being warped. Pakistan’s is relatively low. Did you know a “civilized” country like the USA, where all Pakistanis seem to toe the line, get in line, and even change accents amidst patriotic fervor, has had military intervention numerous times in its history, too?

Why am I saying all this…it is because one perspective can be that the army is the one stabilizing factor in Pakistan and that if the military never intervened, perhaps Pakistan would

have fallen off the perceived cliff a long time ago. Ever thought of it that way?

Is it not coincidental that the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) is the best-regulated residential governance in Pakistan with proper rules & and regulations (by the way, I think the DHA rules should be implemented as the standard in Pakistan’s real estate sector). What word comes to mind when I write DHA…stability!

As an economy, Pakistan has to fix itself, but the nation’s people are duty-bound to play their part. Stop complaining about how expensive life has become and get on with earning a living, or then play your role in changing it.

A friend of mine who lives in Karachi recently complained about their astronomically high utility bill of roughly PKR 105,000 (by the way, they live in a 2 Kanal 6-bed house) and how their utility bills used to average PKR 50,000. Guess what, in Dubai, the same square footage home averages about PKR 200,000. Perspectives!

The fact is so many I know Pakistanis living in Dubai (or elsewhere, too, for that matter) love to complain as though it is their divine right. Pakistanis best get busy living or die trying with honest endeavor and not get busy complaining or die complaining because, in these scenarios, you are of no use to the country.

Yes, at the moment, Pakistan is in a state of FUBAR, but as they say, you deserve what you reap. Let the big boys get on with, once again, taking the bull by the horns and dragging it out. However, this time, they might pull a rabbit out of the hat and make a proper change by appointing the chosen one for their final magic trick. Sometimes, the chosen one doesn’t know they are the chosen one.

One thing is for sure: chess is fun if you know how to play it and if the opponent is equally as good! All it takes is 100 days!