NO GOOD OPTION FOR PAKISTAN

With the recent constitutional crisis in Pakistan that we are witnessing, there are no good options left for Pakistan. The unfortunate reality is that Pakistan has to choose between a rock, a hard place, and a fire pit.

The rock is the status quo comprising the corrupt gang of politicians who are just coming to power. These politicians have never acted in the interest of Pakistan in the past. PML-N has always been focused on urban Punjab at the expense of the rest of the country. PPP does not even pay attention to the needs of their base in interior Sindh, let alone Pakistan. Their shallow slogans in support of democracy have not translated into a positive impact on the economic conditions of Pakistanis. And both of them (along with the other smaller parties in the alliance) have been fixated on personally enriching themselves at the expense of Pakistanis for the last 3+ decades.

The hard place is PTI under the leadership of Imran Khan, which does have a vision and genuine interest in transforming Pakistan into an independent and self-reliant nation that is free of corruption and where there are equal opportunities for all social classes. Although, while it focused on doing fundamental reforms for longer-term growth and prosperity, it couldn’t show the diplomatic maturity needed to handle short-term issues, both economic as well as political on foreign and domestic fronts. 

The fire pit is the military establishment. They move the chess pieces around and continue to meddle in policy matters to ensure their interests continue to be supported at the expense of national progress. Perhaps they are taking inspiration from the United States where the Military-Industrial complex plays a major role in foreign policy. What they don’t realize is that the USA can afford to do that, being a superpower with the strongest economy in the world and issuer of global reserve currency, which also leads in innovation, business, and technology globally. Pakistan, on the other hand, has been one of the worst governed economies on the planet.

Underlying structural issues

The unfortunate reality is that, regardless of which option Pakistan chooses, the following restraints will continue to keep Pakistan from progressing forward:

First is feudalism, which controls 60-65% of the population and their feudal lords occupy a similar percentage of seats in the assemblies who could never vote for reforms similar to what India did in the 50s to abolish Feudal control. In a society where such a majority doesn’t even have the freedom to vote, democracy becomes a mockery.

Second is the ultra-right religious extremism which continues to meddle in governance and policymaking.

Third is the massive and ever-increasing foreign debt (courtesy of the status quo) which has become unmanageable and holds Pakistan’s sovereignty hostage to foreign influence. 

Fourth is the systematic ruining of the largest city, Karachi by all the regimes. Karachi is the biggest city in Pakistan with 25 million inhabitants contributing anywhere from 45% to 60% of the Federal revenue which has been mismanaged and funded incommensurately, due, in large part to ethnically motivated animosity towards the majority of the Karachiites who are the descendants of immigrants from India after partition. 

The inevitability that awaits us

There is no guarantee that Pakistan would remain in existence in its current form in perpetuity… Unless we change now and in drastic ways, the stormy clouds that have enveloped Pakistan, will turn into an ominous raging storm, devastating everything in its path…

If history is of any guide, the tide could only be turned if masses rise up. Has Imran Khan’s voice and PTI’s short reign laid these issues out in the open for the masses to rise up compelling leaders to change course?

Only time will tell…

A concerned overseas Pakistani