Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has strived to survive gigantic challenges. Destabilisation in all fields, including political, economic and administrative, keeps haunting the country, and the nation has failed to achieve even a shred of stability. Immemorial times have passed since the country has been “gifted” with turmoils. Its citizens, particularly the working and lower classes, have never enjoyed even the slightest of fundamental rights. This country has given them nothing so far.
On the other hand, the rich and the powerful have used Pakistan for their benefit and have done everything to plunder the country as much as possible. This 75-year journey of deceleration and destruction is the contribution of the so-called “influential” people. Their ruinous influence has proved catastrophic for the country. This pernicious “gift” of the powerful continues to lead the country on the path to destruction.
Conspiracies continued being hatched quite frequently throughout Pakistan’s history. From Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah’s death, Liaquat Ali Khan’s and Benazir Bhutto’s assassination to anchorperson Arshad Sharif’s killing in Kenya, our history seems to be filled with unexplainable events. Pakistan faced difficulties from the beginning. Refugees, minorities, distribution of assets, language issues, provincialism, geographic uncertainties and princely states were some of the many problems the newly-established state had to encounter. Not to mention the first of four Indo-Pakistan wars that both nations fought.
Economic uncertainty is not new in Pakistan. The country started initially functioning on the financial support provided by Nawabs and others. Rarely, the rich have supported Pakistan monetarily, which is very lamentable. However, Pakistan has always supported and continues to support and finance the rich in all possible ways.
The malevolent intentions of politicians have proved deleterious for Pakistan.
The failure to draft a proper Constitution in time was a major crisis. Wrong people were appointed to the wrong positions. Merit was ignored, and bribery and favouritism were promoted. Law and order were not given importance. Language issues were not solved, and Bengalis were not given their rights and representation. Their issues were left unheard and unattended.
The tragedy of 1971 was not unexpected. The political and military leadership had, in fact, steered the nation towards such a disaster. The atrocities that the powerful circles allegedly committed in East Pakistan, definitely, called for retaliation.
Politicians and civil administration have done no good for the country, but the role of the establishment has been really damaging. Martial laws are an undeniable part of our legacy. These were times when voices were silenced; opponents were killed; gun culture was promoted; crime rates went up, uncertainty was spread, and the country was pushed into terrible chaos. Participating in foreign wars, like middle ages’ mercenaries, was another aspect of martial law. That enormously blemished peace and the country had to go through a nightmare of terrorism. The phenomenon massively devastated all the structures. The country had to face an extreme global backlash due to the diminishment of its impression. Pakistanis living abroad had to face huge trauma.
Corruption has destroyed the very roots of the system. This system, which is rotten to the core, is not easily fixable now. All the components of the state have seriously been wrecked. The malevolent intentions of politicians have proved deleterious for Pakistan. Through this path, we have lost values such as tolerance, respect, justice, equality, and peace. We have failed to create a sustainable arrangement in 75 years.
The deceptive nature and insincerity possessed by corrupt Pakistani politicians might be unparalleled throughout the world. Perhaps, nowhere else in the world, one can find hypocrisy and sanctimony so pervasive. We, the people, although well aware of politicians’ double-faced personalities, do not condemn them. Recently, we’ve seen some hope in this regard, but will that hope turn out successful? If we do not support the cause of civil supremacy, maybe we don’t want any amelioration.
Georg Hegel said: “The only thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.” And in our case, the statement seems to be precisely true. We take no lessons from our past. The establishment remains committed to terminating differences in a violent way. The actions we’ve been doing in Northern and Southwestern areas are no different than what we did in East Pakistan. Banning organisations and individuals, apprehending them, and killing them, will in no way, prove beneficial. On the contrary, it will make the situation worse. Rather, it has already worsened things. The anti-establishment sentiment has augmented colossally. People have started questioning its decisions. People are sort of enlightened and intrigued by state affairs. Maybe after 75 years, they’ve come to understand that they should be the decision-makers. It should be the people in charge of for opting governments.
People and institutions in Pakistan tend not to remain within the limits, prescribed by the Constitution. That is what leads to this never-ending unrest. Military, politicians, bureaucracy, judiciary, media, etc., all exceed their boundaries. The majority of problems can be solved if all these parties agree to work principally within the restrictions imposed by the law. The only way to enforce the rule of law in the country is to follow the law. A law that shall be unbiased, impartial, and equal for all; a law that shall treat all fairly; a law that shall be self-protecting; a law that no one shall dare break.
Although optimism and fancy words are no solution, losing them is also not the answer. The wounds are deep, but not incurable. Problems are huge, but not unsolvable. Prosperity is far away, but not unreachable. If we amend ourselves and work effort fully for improvement, things will change. If we take charge of our obligations and properly fulfil them, stability shall not be far away. Not far away will be the days when these clouds of darkness would just become a nightmare of history, a horrible one.
The writer can be reached at: [email protected].