Daily Times

Nation building may not be a modern concept but a necessary one. In the past, the people residing in an area (whether the area was delimited or not and whether the people had one common means of survival or not) used to devise measures to construct a nation rather than live as a mere gathering. The concept of a nation-state emerged out of that practice.

In the present age, two phenomena are taking place together: first, the need for nation building to seek national unity and, secondly, the need for opening up to alien lands to improve the quality of life. In fact, the latter poses a major challenge to the former. The simultaneous occurrence of both these phenomena is creating confusion in many countries. The developed countries have been innovating ways to assimilate aliens (or immigrants) into their cultures and expand the concept of nation building. Pakistan, though not a big recipient of aliens, is struggling with its nation building but owing to different reasons.

Nation building is possible through homogenisation of people who hail from different cultural backgrounds. In fact, it is homogenisation of cultures that leads to nation building. In Pakistan, it seems that the process of homogenisation has gone awry. Instead of constructing one nation, the process is constructing multiple sub-nations who are at daggers drawn with each other to seek dominance in the national mainstream. In this struggle, the sub-nations who lag behind become disillusioned with the reason for the formation of Pakistan. One can argue that Pakistan’s strength lies in its diversity of culture (and society) but if that diversity creates islands of isolation (which in turn fuels an internecine conflict), the diversity is not serving the cause of nation building.

In Pakistan, religion is still considered a panacea to all the ills of the process of homogenisation. It is despite the fact that 1971 had visited the country. Secondly, it is despite the fact that over-reliance on religion has brought Pakistan to the precipice of religious bigotry. Thirdly, it is despite the fact that over-dependence on religion has made the policy makers overlook other important factors that are meant to accelerate the process of nation building. Apparently, in Pakistan, the components of nation building have been classified as religious and non-religious. Then the decision goes in favour of religion to be used as an instrument of nation building, as happened in the past.

Generally speaking, in the non-religious sector, there are six major components of nation building: a national language; a national education system; an increased access to national media; the ease of travelling; vibrant bureaucracy, and a national army. One may argue that in the present age, when globalisation is diluting national and geographical boundaries, the institution of the army is losing its relevance. Instead, the economy is taking precedence over it. In the case of Pakistan, the factor of a pulsating economy can be incorporated into the components of nation building but the importance of a national army is still significant. Since Pakistan’s inception, if any component from the non-religious sector has been emboldened, it is the institution of the army. Consequently, now the army has a say in several policy matters of the government.

Looked at from another angle, both the institutions of religion and the army have arrogated the cause of nation building to themselves. Pakistan’s emphasis on the importance of the economy is a post-1991 phenomenon when the Cold War ended and Pakistan was earnestly asked to adopt the policy of economic self-reliance. Secondly, both the institutions of religion and the army remained instrumental in constructing the ‘other’ to justify their survival and quench their thirst for victory. It is just the post-2004 era when both giants started confronting each other.

Symptoms speak aloud that Pakistan’s policies of nation building are hitherto unsuccessful. The policies of over-reliance on the institutions of religion and the army are backfiring. The policies have enhanced polarisation in the country. The trouble in Karachi, the insurgency in Balochistan, and the unrest in the FATA bespeak the same fact. Similarly, sectarianism and militancy reinforce the same reality. In 2012, Pakistan is again faced with the challenge: can the unassimilated citizens be integrated to make one nation? The substitute challenge is: can the unassimilated citizens be convinced to shed their sub-cultures to construct one dominant culture?

The answer lies in focusing on other components of nation building, especially a national education system, an increased access to national media and the ease of travelling from one part of the country to another.

School is an agent of nationalism. School is an ultimate source of acculturation. Education instructs children and conditions them to appreciate the beneficence of national unity. Education also inculcates patriotic sentiments and explains the benefits of the state. Patriotic feelings may not be instinctive but learnt in schools. Education also explains the benefits of paying taxes. The mainstay of a developed country’s progress is not its army but its taxation department. Pakistan needs to learn much from this reality. After attaining a higher standard of literacy comes the turn of technical competence to make citizens employable.

Literacy also means that more people gain access to newspapers and journals, which in turn increases their knowledge of national affairs. An increased access to national media helps citizens to air their concerns and criticise government policies instead of keeping their feelings pent up and nursing grievances against the state.

New roads connect citizens to others to whom they had never been connected. The growth of railways increases mobility further and creates contact between citizens residing in different regions of a country. The roads and railways set people on the move and stimulate the process of assimilation. Both roads and railways bring agriculture and industrial products to national markets.

Pakistan should build schools, spread newspapers and media generally, and construct roads and railways to see if they can materialise the dream of nation building.

The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo.com