Politics in Pakistan should not be treated like a business, it should be taken as a public service.
Identify the challenges that not currently affecting Pakistan. Indeed, there are some challenges that Pakistan is not currently facing based on distinctive issues affecting nations. There are areas where problems may be relatively absent such as civil war or full-scale internal armed conflict, complete economic isolation, absence of diplomatic recognition, complete breakdown of governance, extreme scarcity of resources, total internet or communication breakdown, and huge outmigration crisis.
Because, Pakistan manages local security challenges, maintains active trade relations, and international aid partnerships and it is not completely cut off economically or politically. It enjoys widespread international recognition and maintains embassies and diplomatic relations worldwide. It holds functioning institutions, a constitution, and operational systems at national and provincial levels. It may not be dealing with acute natural disasters at the current moment, though it has faced devastating floods and earthquakes in the past.
Despite the mismanagement of resources in some sectors, Pakistan does not suffer from absolute scarcity of critical resources like water or cultivable land. However, there are grave issues regarding their distribution and management. While digital access may vary across areas and political events can disrupt connectivity temporarily. Still, Pakistan has a mostly active digital and media landscape. Although Pakistan sees migration due to economic factors, it does not face a crisis of mass migration comparable to conflict-affected regions. Thus, issues not currently affecting Pakistan provide an opportunity to recognize areas of resilience or stability. Moreover, Pakistan does not struggle with questions of legitimacy on the global stage and it also avoids a full collapse into anarchy.
The problems badly affecting Pakistan, which are also clearly visible include political unrest, terrorist attacks, protracted economic and financial crisis, high levels of government debt, high inflation rate, food and energy crisis, the impacts of climate change, lack of foreign exchange needed to pay for necessary imports and widespread poverty. The rank 161st out of 192 on the Human Development Index, and 129th out of 142 countries on the adherence to the rule of law shows that Pakistan is facing challenges in both social and governance indicators.
In addition, the Global Hunger Index report of 2024 ranks Pakistan 109 out of 127 countries. These facts highlight the country’s low human development category and the deteriorating situation of the rule of law. The lack of a stable and predictable environment is a huge hurdle in solving the country’s daunting problems, particularly those related to economic stability.
The World Bank’s “Macro Poverty Outlook for Pakistan,” report highlights that fiscal consolidation and high inflation led to a poverty rate of 40.5 percent in the fiscal year 2024 with an additional 2.6 million Pakistanis falling below the poverty line. What is required are prudent short-term and long-term policy responses.
This instability is not only confined to economic challenges, it also extends to the security situation, where terrorists exploit the lack of stability and development. Terrorists hit and destabilize those areas where geographical and socio-political factors provide them with greater operational freedom.
Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), released statistics in its monthly security report for October 2024 which highlighted that the majority of the 48 reported attacks occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with 35 and nine incidents, respectively. Likewise, in October alone, 48 terrorist attacks were reported across 28 districts in four provinces.
Politics in Pakistan should not be treated like a business, it should be taken as a public service, at least in such an environment where geo-economic dynamics are changing frequently. Politics is often revolving around power, perks, privileges, and the misuse of authority. But the system should at least ensure social justice efficiently.
States with political stability experience a decreased probability of encountering major political upheavals, civil unrest, or sudden management changes. Political unrest often leads to internal divisions, spoilage, and widespread disruption.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, political parties in power use the state apparatus to accumulate wealth and dismantle political opponents. It is important to keep in mind that the prevalence of disinformation in the age of social media is adding insult to injury for Pakistan, which is already overwhelmed by many challenges. For this reason, policies should be aligned to prevent reaching a point where things spin out of control.
Political stability in Pakistan is essential and the political divide is detrimental. No doubt about it states that prioritize anything over economic development are destined to face decay. Therefore, understanding the important role of political stability is essential for achieving sustainable long-term development.
