Daily Times

In a couple of days from today, we will be celebrating Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14. It has been a journey of 68 years for us so far and we must acknowledge that the years have not been kind to us. Our will has been challenged quite a few times in the past where the resolve of even the die-hard has waned in the face of crippling crises. At multiple points in our history, we have failed to stick to the right thing at crucial junctures, which has resulted in a stunted system built to serve the needs of the few. Unsurprisingly then, contemporary Pakistani society is built on historical and systemic inequalities that are only perpetuated further with each new generation. For a small segment of the population, Pakistan truly does represent a land filled with endless opportunities but, for most of us, the country represents nothing more than an endless nightmare with no escape.
In such a scenario, there are some key challenges that must be tackled in order to not only ensure our survival but to also secure our future in the region. The most visible challenge, of course, remains the preservation of national security in the wake of the terrorist threat. One cannot help but acknowledge that the security situation has considerably improved from last year but we have had to pay dearly for that. The heart-wrenching attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar last December resulted in the loss of many innocent lives but it seems to have jolted us out of our stupor and slowly but surely a consensus on eliminating the terrorist elements from within Pakistani society seems to be emerging. The military operations in Fata and North Waziristan have pushed back the militants from their strongholds and in urban centres the opportunities to wreak havoc are dwindling as a result of more vigilance and preventive measures.
On the political front though, things remain as woeful as ever. Around this time last year, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT)-led protests brought the nation’s capital to a grinding halt on the basis of delusional claims, and while the matter of systematic rigging in the 2013 polls has been somewhat laid to rest by the judicial commission, instability and uncertainty still reigns supreme. For better or for worse, the civil-military relations in Pakistan are on an unequal but stable keel but rather than building on this spirit of ‘cohabitation’ the opposition parties are leaving no stone unturned in bringing forth their selfish agendas. Be it the issue of de-seating members of a political party, verbal attacks on an hourly basis or rhetorical speeches ad nauseam that add little to further our political understanding, the politicians in our country are hell-bent on keeping our attention away from the real issues.
Regarding the Pakistani economy, a low but stable growth trend can be seen in the national economy but we have to understand that the growth indicators are merely reflecting better-than-average turnovers in only a handful of sectors, and inclusive growth remains a far-fetched dream. Additionally, a more worrisome aspect related to patterns of economic growth is that of rising inequality in terms of income and opportunities that are available to the Pakistani populace. Experts all over the world are ringing alarm bells about the violence that could emerge as a result of inequality, and it is about time that we start to address this issue. Further improvement in the economy from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and possibly even the Iran gas deal, undoubtedly remain hopeful prospects but if we ever hope for its benefits to reach the common Pakistani, we will have to re-think the way we conceptualise wealth and poverty in our country.
Social inclusion is another aspect of our national discourse that we will have to focus more on in the coming years. So far, the Pakistani dream has failed to bring into its fold the diverse ethnic, religious and personal identities that altogether make up our national landscape, and when we combine the limitations that economic disparities put on such fringe outliers, the social situation comes out as terribly inadequate. We have forsaken the poor and disadvantaged to the vagaries of nature and, in today’s Pakistan, only the very rich can aspire to a respectable living standard anymore. Additionally, not only are certain religious traditions and ethnicities systematically advanced at the expense of others, the excluded are further persecuted and victimised to either give in or else remain forever sidelined.
A bigger challenge, furthermore, is to manage and preserve our natural resources in the wake of mercurial effects triggered by climate change. Food security, flood prevention and the preservation of the natural habitat of man and other species alike is a key issue regarding our survival on the planet, which has to be tackled by an international — rather than domestic — resolve. So far though, our national policy has yet to address such issues. But time and climate wait for no one. Every year we see the ugly face of climate change in the form of erratic weather conditions that adversely affect the populations and crop systems around our rivers, and if we do not alter our thinking, then perhaps nature will do that for us, albeit in a ruthless manner.
A nation’s work is never complete, since the very idea of progress embodies in itself an ever-present instinct for growth. We have raised the question of growth in the past but so far our national consensus — if it could be called one — on the kind of growth required has lacked focus and direction. Haphazard and reactive policy-making has meant that us Pakistanis are forever in damage control mode, trying to make the best out of some very bad situations. But it is now time to actually take control of our destiny by taking responsibility for our actions. In order to do so, we will have to shake off our victim mentality and have faith in our own ability to shape our future. Until that time arrives though, you can be sure that August 14 will paint a very sorry picture each time around.

The author is a freelance columnist with degrees in political science and international relations