Sovereignty over servitude — I

We believe our own propaganda and the line between reality and myth has been blurred. Emotionalism trumps rationalism and that same attitude permeates through every arm of the state and state policy. The state doesn’t serves the people, it serves its own interests and then disguises it under the cloak of emotionalism and jingoism that insures that we blame everyone but ourselves for our problems. Recommend

brilliantRecommend

Excellent!!! Recommend

While the piece stuck to it’s logic and thread, the frustrations of the author took the better of her – which caused her to meander into the familiar India-bashing territory, although in an indirect manner, in her last lines!!

Why can’t any author in Pakistan write without at least a quick snide at India!

To come to the point I wanted to make – if Pakistan thinks that China and Saudi are their eternal friends and will support them against India always – it is living in a world of delusions…

China is today among the largerst trade partners of India, if not the largest – trade relations between India and China are growing exponentially. While India is very wary of China, China too is aware of the grief India can cause it on Tibet. So both are focussing on business today and this is too valuable a prize to throw away based on the tantrums of problem-child Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia and India have steadily invested in deep economic and political ties today, not just oil-related. The relations go beyond rhetorical ‘brotherly relations’ that many others claim to have. For instance, in the last visit of the Indian PM, a treaty protecting Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia was signed. Can Pakistan demand such a treaty to protect it’s citizens in Saudi Arabia? India is investing in education and space research in Saudi Arabia. And unlike Mr Zardari, the Mr Singh is very highly regarded by the King.

So sooner Pakistan gets rid of it’s favourite pastime of conspiracy theories concerning the activities of RAW/CIA/Mossad and instead focus on economic growth and trade relations with India – the better it is for South Asia and indeed the world.Recommend

This is one of the rare instances where an American (non-South Asian American) has said the truth about Pakistan to Pakistanis without any sugar-coating or diplomatic-somer-saulting.

We need more of such voices to come from within Pakistan not only from English media but also from the Urdu/Pashto/Sindhi/Punjabi language media for any significant change to happen. Recommend

One reason why Pakistan cannot step out of the shadow of its servitude and into the light of sovereignty is that every country has an army in Pakistan the army has the country.Recommend

Christine

You have correctly pointed out some important factors that hinder Pakistan’s sovereignity. But look at Turkey for example, which is somewhat more politically stable and economically prosperous. When it only sent a food aid ship to people of Gaza it was attacked by Israel, US did nothing. Super powers will always create hurdles for smaller nations and their interests. Do you really think Pakistan will ever be treated friendly and on basis of equality even after it is economically stronger? no it would not. I am afraid, but maybe it is better Pakistan and US remain enemy rather than friends since there is no trust.
I hope Pakistan chooses the correct path, change its course and work to transform its economy into a strong and sustainable one and attain true freedom and sovreignity. Recommend

Why shouldnt China vote to declare JuD as terrorist organization??. If u are friendly with China, they cannot fall into the pit along with you. They should try and prevent u from falling. If they do that, you blame them for not falling with you. What an idea. Total crapRecommend

Although i agree to most of the article.if US of A wants or wanted to help Pakistani why didn’t it object to radicalization of Pakistani society by general Zia when this was done in the guise of Soviet resistance.So what can US do now to help Pakistan, maybe help the pakistani justice system in identifying all the black money stashed away by the elite of Pakistan in various countries.May be BBC or CNN can concentrate on tax evasion of the elite and their extent in terms of real dollars, instead of talking only about Pakistani nukes and terrorist.I believe their is a lot US of A can do and should do to help it’s Ally Pakistan, stop giving aid.India only became independent of aid becoz it was isolated and aid stopped flowing that is when MMS came and was to able to take hard decisions, i am sure if aid was given at that moment India who would still be a aid seeking country not aid providing country. US of A is a Aid peddler like a drug peddler, is interested only in increasing it’s leverage.Put the drug peddler in Jail, put the addict in hospital deny him the drug and give him some bitter medicine in time the person will be de-addicted.Recommend

Can you please write in Urdu?

Most Pakistanis protesting on the streets and burning flags DON’T read English!Recommend

excellent piece must be translated in urdu with the permission of writer for the benefit of the commonerRecommend

Salam,
We do need a good system but the main thing is implementation. Our leaders are addicted to the steroids they receive in the form of funds, they don’t want it to be stopped and they honestly don’t know the meaning of Sovereignty and Self respect.To be candid, we the people are not honest with our country let alone the corrupt stooges who apparently rule the country.
Pakistan Zindabad. Recommend

@ Christine agreeing with what you have rightly pointed out in your opinion I desire to add the following for your information / appropriate reaction and consideration of the readers of Tribune:

What we need is a National Sovereignty Revival Agenda to convert prevailing uncertain environment of weakness, fragility and failure into a movement for strength, progress and prosperity? The “PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN” urgently need to declare a genuine war against social and economic evils. This war will automatically put an end to sectarianism, fanaticism and terrorism. The proposed Agenda of the war against social and economic evils will consist of the following five steps:

• The proper evaluation of the natural and human resource potential

• A real and unbiased evaluation of the performance of the social and economic indicators to determine the precise extent of self-reliance and reliance on others

• The declaration of a Genuine Strategic National Economic Plan consisting of workable options for the bilateral, regional and global cooperation to fill and / or narrow the artificial bridgeable gap between natural and human resource potential and social and economic performance

• The creation of unhindered channels for the flow of human and natural resources from human and natural resource rich areas of the country to natural and human resource poor areas first within and then outside Pakistan through transparent transactions

• The creation of special Judicial Courts from within the existing Judicial Set Up at district, provincial and federal levels to try and punish the rulers, politicians, bureaucrats, top officers of the armed forces, business tycoons media owners / their employees who are responsible for the creation and perpetuation of the “Cycles of Social and Economic Evils at National, Provincial and District Levels” through “Well-Conceived Structures and Systems of Inhuman Exploitation.”

It is urgent need of the time to take immediate steps in this direction because the delay in the declaration of war against social and economic evils will make Pakistan an increasingly unpleasant and alarmingly unsafe place to live.

For details, I invite you all to read “THE LAST WORD” that is available at Linkedin Box: http://pk.linkedin.com/in/zahidhkhalid Recommend

haha…tough love from the americans, the only avenue left unexplored, so how about you stop supporting dictators and the establishment in Pakistan to let the peopple assume some semblance of ownership of their government, fine you have a right to a return to the money you invest but does it give you the right to determining the land and it future too…so much here to say but refreshing approach nonethelessRecommend

@[email protected]:
Street protesters do not read English. However those who are the Angrezi-speaking elite
think and feel in a pan-Pakistan way. We may be selfish but from us come the ideals of a liberal,
progressive, democratic, secular society.Recommend

Pakistan would have turned into another Somalia but for it’s robust textile industry and generous American aid, both direct and indirect. Ironically, however, Pakistan seems to be hell bent upon destroying both of these lifelines. Unrealistic and outdated foreign and economic policies are responsible for this sorry state of affairs.
Instead of cooperating with Americans in Afghanistan, Pakistani establishment thought that they can get away with playing the double game of fighting Taliban with one hand and patting their backs with other. Now, Americans seems to be losing patience with Pakistan.
On the economic front, as the author has rightly said, Pak government is extremely reluctant to widen the tax net. Pakistan’s tax to GDP ratio is just 9 percent (India 18 and the US 28 percent), one of the lowest in the world. With such a low taxation, it is virtually impossible to maintain a huge army, bureaucracy, subsidies and loss making public sector entities. Even if, the tax net is expanded and brought to the level of India’s 18 percent, still, it would be difficult to manage the economy, given the massive debt servicing obligations.
Instead of paying attention to these seemingly insurmountable economic problems, Pakistan govt. foolishly busy killing whatever industry left in the country. The outrageous Free Trade Agreement with China can be cited as an example. It has virtually buried the small and medium scale industries forever. Small and medium scale industries do play a vital role in eradicating poverty and unemployment. Even a pencil manufacturing unit is capable of providing livelihood to the hundreds of people directly and indirectly. And yet, Pak govt. had the audacity to sign FTA with a giant like China, giving her a free hand to dump billions of dollars of junk into Pakistan.
With such a poor state of economy, expecting Pak government to assert it’s sovereignty is asking for too much. Recommend

I do not understand why Pakistan continually uses India as its frame of reference. India is 7 to 12 times that of Pakistan depending on the criteria you use and counting. India is way out of their league. Try comparing yourself with someone of your size and capabilities ie Indonesia, Bangladesh Nigeria etc.Recommend

The author is dead right that Pakistan’s survival hinges on American aid and simultaneously reminding them that beggars cannot be choosers. No wonder, the ‘Human rights Champions of the World’ is indulging in arm twisting of Pakistan to return an ordinary US citizen or CIA agent back to US without trial, who committed cold blooded double murders in broad day light, as well as black-mailing Pakistan who is duty-bound to comply their orders without questioning world wide accepted legalities or norms, otherwise all aid will be stop. Can the author write something on this hypocracy being committed by her country? Recommend

Mr Babloo Political leaders are elected by the people of Pakistan (in a managed elections under Pakistan rogue army). You should respect people of pakistan. America is better off in supporting the even the socalled allegedly corrupt leaders than rogue dictator army.Recommend

people- read the theory of realism, the rhetorics used at individual or social level cant by applied to state politics.
no permanent friends no permanent enemies and only states interests are primary-come what may- is justified for state politics. Recommend

@nawab

I do not know how the number of poor people in a country has anything to do with the point in hand. India’s poor (which count at 40% and fast declining) will catch up as the economy expands and more opportunity evolve.

The fact is the resources at India’s disposal is many times that of Pakistan and they are not comparable. Just being neighbours or having a common past does not mean you are equal.

I am not aware of India receiving any aid from Russia or US. It certainly does not need that. In fact, all common ventures that India engages in with these two countries are heavily funded by India itself. Survival on foreign aid is the monopoly of Pakistan.Recommend

@Sonam Shyam,
There isn’t much in your above post that I can differ with you. In fact, I find your post endorsing my views. Of course, Chinese are extracting their pound of flesh from not only Pakistan’s considerably big market, but, also using it as an experimental Guiana pig for their nuclear reactors, whose functioning efficiency and reliability is yet to be decisively established. I am not an expert on nuclear technology, but, whatever I read on the subject in the national and international media so far, ingeniously built Chinese reactors are no better or worse than our own ingeniously built reactors.
Chinese want to step into the nuclear reactor market, but, so far, other than Pakistan, no one else showed interest in buying them due to their low capacity of producing electricity (250 to 500 MWs) and other above mentioned reasons. The so called ‘nuclear power’ Pakistan, is yet to produce its own nuclear reactor and as a non-signatory to the NPT it cannot import them either, therefore, Paks are quite happy to buy Chinese reactors, so that they can use or misuse them freely.
On the other hand, Chinese too are happy to find a customer in Pakistan, who is not only ready to take all the risks involved, but, also quite willing to pay in hard cash and grateful for a loan with high interest rate too. Apart from that, they can gain experience from establishing, running and obtaining performing data from their reactors in Pakistan, that too at free of cost. That is going to help them in building high capacity reactors in future. This view, in part, has also been endorsed by the Pakistan’s most reputed nuclear physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy.
Therefore, mate, don’t object to my word ‘outrageous’, simply because Pak-China relations are outrageous indeed!Recommend