Daily Times

Pakistan indeed transits into one of the worst phases in the history of the country by being plagued by political instabilities, economic crises and social unrest., Result of this on-going antagonism among the political parties, the latter still succeeds in undermining the welfare of the country to favor some individual agendas. This set up a power struggle not only in the political domain, but also in the economic and social domains especially by increasing the effects of the economic crisis and fanning social conflict. All in all, for the change, there is a dire need of coming together in political realm and having a vision, a vision for constructing a better Pakistan, a progressive Pakistan.

The political climate in Pakistan has had major engagements between the opposition and the ruling parties in these past few years especially between PTI and the ruling coalition. The emergence of political instability since the removal of Imran Khan from power, arrest over corruption was another factor that attracted demonstrations and made the nation more divided. Instead of providing good governance and developmental activities, politicians are involved in compromising activities and putting the blame game on each other which should not be the case while dealing with the problems of Pakistan.

This political upheaval has culminated into policy instability whereby policy stagnation has become the order of the day. They legislate not for addressing the concerns of population but for aspiring and strengthening authority, which continues to marginalize citizens, and reducing the role of democracy. The corresponding instability frightens the foreign investors and undermines the economic reforms leaving the country in the state of a virtually bottomless pit.

As political parties struggle for supremacy, Pakistan’s economy keeps shrunk-ing further. Prices are soaring to record high, the currency is depreciating while the life of millions of citizens has become a misery. This has instigated the government to borrow money from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), means budgetary measures are mostly including taxes making further pressure to citizens. Export-oriented industries which includes textile industry operates under much pressure due to high cost and lacking policy support.

It has, therefore, eroded investor confidence since political instabilities give a doubt on the country’s capability to implement various economic reforms. Because political stability and long-term strategies are missing in Pakistan, it cannot cope up with these problems. The thing is that political leaders are not unified and that directly contributes to the fall of the economy, and the people suffer.

Political stability is therefore very crucial for the growth of most nations. However the state of affairs of leadership in Pakistan remains such that governors do not possess the desire or have the capacity to rise above their self-interest for the higher benefits of the population. Unity does not mean silencing dissent or eliminating healthy competition; it means working together toward a common goal: rebuilding the country. Every political party needs to understand that rivalry only dаmages the nation, whether internally or externally.

When leaders prioritize national interests over party rivalries, they can:

1. Restore Economic Stability: Mutual economic aspirations can fight inflation, spur investors’ interest, and facilitate national budgets restraint. This means that a unified approach shall go a long way in reassuring both the domestic and the foreign investors.

2. Strengthen Institutions: When achieved democracy encourages citizens to respect institutions so that topics such as governance, accountability and efficiency remain virtues in any democratic society.

3. Improve Public Welfare: Political stability encourages changes in education system health sector and labor market, which are the pillars that impact directly on citizens and sustains them in the long run.

The call for unity should therefore be followed by a vision of the way forward. Pakistan’s issues; economic downturn, unemployment, poverty and political crisis are not amenable to short term solutions or populist slogans.

According to history, nations rise when its leaders sit to agree on how to navigate through the storm. Countries like South Korea and Malaysia succeed to evade an economic collapse as their leadership was coherent, focused and committed. Pakistan can also follow the same line if only the political masters steer the country towards solutions and not problems.

Elevated self-sacrifice is central to proper definition of leadership, especially with reference to the national interest. Today, our political leaders should rise above petty party politics and accept the collective responsibility to build Pakistan. People will not remember them as how aggressively they competed with each other, but as how cohesively they emerged to reconstruct it.

Pakistan’s present situation requires immediate attention. Political parties have to move a notch higher and start thinking as one party with an aim of bringing stability, development and economic turnaround. The people of Pakistan deserves the leadership that is unifying, that mobilizes, that empowers, that provides. Division time has come to an end. So now it is the time for politicians to unite, to become target oriented to transform Pakistan into a better, prosperous nation of the world.

There can be no doubt that unity is not an option, it is a requirement. It would be impossible for Pakistan to become what it has supposed to become single handedly without a vision while working collectively.