Pakistan need to reconsider its policies and devises ones that are fruitful in the long run.
KHAIRPUR: 2014 in Pakistan has been welcomed with sectarian killing in Quetta, generating the impression that this year will be no better than the previous one. As confirmed by a Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies survey, there has been a nine per cent increase in terrorist attacks in Pakistan in 2013. Terrorism tops as an existential challenge for the incumbent leadership, but it remains to be seen if the leadership realises this at all. To combat the challenge, all law enforcement agencies must collaborate through intelligence gathering, intelligence sharing and preemptive strikes, which can help bring down terrorists to their knees.
The other overpowering concern of 2014 is our fragile economy, which is surviving only because of IMF loans and generous aid. Despite increasing tariffs and taxes, and improving its trade relations with Middle Eastern countries and China, the government should widen the tax base, bringing into its fold the elite: industrialists, landlords, politicians, bureaucrats, etc. Such widening of the tax base, if done successfully, would be helpful in the long run.
Moreover, on the regional level too, the situation is worrisome for Pakistan as after the US drawdown from Afghanistan, there are not only the chances of spillover effects on Pakistan of the power struggle in Afghanistan, but also of Pakistan being pushed to isolation by the US as happened in the past after the collapse of the Soviet Union. On this front, Pakistan must engage with the powers that-be in Afghanistan and the US for a smooth transition of power, avoiding any conflict with our immediate neighbour. Neither will the situation in India be different as Narenda Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to gain an upper hand in the upcoming Indian general elections. If that turns out to be the case, skirmishes along the Line of Control, or any terrorist attack in India would more likely invite an adventurous response from that country, as well as censure from the international community. To counter such eventualities, Pakistan should realign and strengthen its relations with superpowers, and especially China.
With the conclusion of the US-Iran deal and with the new, more aggressive faces of China and Russia, the world is heading towards a new political set-up, which necessitates that Pakistan reconsiders its policies and devises ones that are fruitful in the long run. However, in order to deal with internal and external threats, political will is required — which seems to be lacking. If such a will is cultivated across the political leadership, Pakistan can stand on its feet.
Zakaullah Mirbahar
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.
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