We as a nation have the bad habit of pointing fingers at others. Indulging in criticism for the sake of criticism is our favourite pastime. We are good at finding faults, making fun of others and giving advice.
We never look inwards to take a look at our own weaknesses, carry out self analysis, correct ourselves and indulge in constructive and healthy activities.
Blaming others or finding scapegoats is our hobby. In this ignoble practice, some do not spare the founder of Pakistan Quaid- e- Azam. What was envisioned by him about the wicked intentions of Brahman Hindus against Muslims of India, it came true in the ongoing fascist and racist rule of Modi in India.
We blamed Foreign Minister Ayub Khan for creating the East Pakistan crisis. General Yahya, Lt Gen Niazi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto were blamed for the 1971 debacle. We blamed Bhutto for destroying the economy. We blamed Gen Zia ul Haq for radicalising the society and dub his tenure as the darkest period.
We blamed Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif for infighting and promoting nepotism and corruption in the 1990s. We blamed General Musharraf for promoting secularism and bending to the US dictates. We view the Zardari regime (2008-13) as the blackest rule. The third tenure of Nawaz Sharif (2023-18) is termed as dynastic and imperialist. Imran Khan’s rule is considered as the weakest, which took the country to the brink of default. PDM-I Govt is derided for its poor governance and performance. The current govt is berated on account of its legitimacy and witchhunt against PTI.
After holding the politicians responsible for the malaise in the society and making the country debt ridden and poor for a long period, the guns of hate shifted towards the Army leadership for the first time in April 2022, and this credit goes to Imran Khan. The guns are still belching venom.
If we carry out deeper introspection and meaningful appraisal, it will be discerned that we as a nation bear the responsibility for collectively chipping the foundations of Pakistan soon after its birth, for losing half of it. Even then we didn’t learn any lessons, and treaded the same old self-destructive path.
The elite class led the show, while the illiterate and not so literate people lacking awareness were driven around the pole star like dumb driven cattle.
Some mercurian leaders like Sheikh Mujib, ZA Bhutto, Altaf Hussain and Imran Khan posed themselves as people- loving and messiahs to dupe them and imposed cultish cultures.
The military establishment , the bureaucrats, the politicians and the judiciary remained engrossed in the power struggle to strengthen their respective domains, and not in nation building, and made no effort to gell the nation and to integrate the heterogeneous society.
The power quadruple of the executive, bureaucracy, judiciary and the military helped by the media, meddled into each other’s spheres of influence and the former three strived to get into the good books of the military.
Of course, we cannot ignore the external factors. India wanted to reabsorb Pakistan, and the USA on whom we wholly depended, wanted to keep Pakistan managed and controlled.
Whichever leader tried to digress from the dictated policy of the USA was bumped off, or his regime was dethroned. India chose the path of subversion to weaken Pakistan from within, and the US used its coercive tools of imperialism to keep Pakistan under its thumb. The West loving secular elite remained subservient to the dictates of the USA despite its repeated betrayals and using Pakistan for serving its imperialist interests.
We are still on a bumpy road lurching from one crisis to another, and are still struggling to overcome self-created crises and keep Pakistan intact.
Of all the state institutions, the military can be rated much higher than others, and has rightly been termed as the first and last line of defence. The internal systems of the military as well as ethical honor code handed over by the British are much superior to other institutions. Its pyramid system and promotion system to attain higher ranks are by and large the best. That is why no internal coup or rebellion took place. A few futile attempts were nipped in the bud.
In three cases, the Army seized power when the country was derailed and the national kitty was empty. Each time, the military takeovers were celebrated by the opposition parties. The military failed in improving democracy, but it achieved spectacular results in the fields of governance, management and economy.
Thankfully, military adventurism hasn’t taken place after General Musharraf, but throughout this period, the politicians, civil society and intellectuals beseeched the army to takeover and save the country.
Secret wheeling and dealing of the disgruntled politicians with General Head Quarter (GHQ) encouraged the latter to meddle in political affairs indirectly. Creation of a constitutionally legalised political cell in Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) by Bhutto was another reason for the army to indulge in politics.
The charade is going on and the ones who matters doesn’t seem to have the will or desire to carry out thorough reforms since reformed institutions and electoral system don’t suit them. A small effort has been made to reform the higher judiciary which is long due. A storm has been raised, as if heavens have fallen.
One party believes that 26th Amendment was Pakistan Tehrik-e- Insaf (PTI) specific, although it had taken part in the whole process and had approved it. The main reason is lust for power. No one trusts anyone and views the opponents as the devil’s incarnation.
Social media has become the biggest threat to the integrity of the country, since it has polluted the minds of the youths and even the elders.
PTI’s cultish culture is more dangerous than the previous cultures since it has seeped into the rank and file of the armed forces and the veterans.
After the discriminatory roles of Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, Asif Saeed Khosa, and Bandial who went out of the way to favour PTI, a set of senior judges serving under CJP Faiz Essa teamed up with PTI.
Badly divided PTI is expectantly looking forward to the victory of Donald Trump and seeing him as the last hope of returning to power.
Only PTI as a political party, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLA) are creating chaos to impede development, stop foreign investments, and to bankrupt Pakistan.
Learning no lessons from repeated failures, PTI has once again given a call for protests from 15 November onwards. It is unmindful of the dangerous agenda of the Indo-US-Israel nexus, which has been hatching conspiracies and executing plans since 2001 to undo Pakistan. PTI’s policy of anarchism is providing grist to the foreign agenda.
The ones in power, irrespective of their black track record, are struggling to correct the economy. Slight progress has been made in the last few months. Efforts are in hand to curb the ill effects of social media.
The army under General Asim Munir is giving full backup support to the govt to pull out the economy from stagnation and to make it vibrant.
At least, the downslide has been stemmed and the economic indicators are getting healthier to move from negative to positive. Phase 2 of CPEC and the Special Investment Facilitation Center (SIFC) development plan based on five pillars, coupled with pouring in of promised foreign investments, would hopefully turn the tide.
Disunity and chaos are poisonous for Pakistan, but it suits our enemies.
Without internal unity, political stability and security, Pakistan cannot progress.
Now that the wind has started to blow favourably, in the best interest of the country and its people, the politicians should stop the tug of war, infighting, set aside their differences, and join hands to make Pakistan progressive and economically self-reliant. Others should refrain from finger pointing, negativity, and throwing mud at each other, and instead adopt positivity and become useful members of the society.
