A wish list for 2016
One would certainly wish to see the war on terror come to its logical conclusion with terrorists completely vanquished
Predictions rarely come true in the way they are predicted to happen. It is like crystal ball-gazing without the benefit of an actual crystal ball. And they can be hazardous because in the moment-to-moment mode under which we are living in Pakistan, anything can happen, even the complete opposite to what has been predicted. Who would have imagined some of the out-of-the-blue happenings of the past year? But of course, one can have a wish list for the year ahead.
To start with, one would certainly wish to see the war on terror come to its logical conclusion with the terrorists completely vanquished. The TTP would hopefully become history during the year and a lasting solution to the conundrum posed by the situation in Afghanistan would also be found, through cooperation between the legitimately-elected government in Kabul and Islamabad.
As a follow-up to the fast-paced and positive developments on the India-Pakistan front, the two countries would hopefully enter into meaningful bilateral talks under what has been labelled as the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue, with the Musharraf-Manmohan four-step formula on Kashmir revived and the disputed territory demilitarised as a first step towards finding a lasting solution to the problem. Meanwhile, trade with India would also hopefully resume tentatively, along with the re-establishment of economic relations between the two countries. One would also wish that Pakistan agrees to give a transit trade route through the country to India and Afghanistan in return for a well thought-out and mutually beneficial quid pro quo.
Developing an India-Pakistan-Afghanistan-Central Asia-Iran economic corridor can be a possibility if the leaders of these countries show wisdom, foresight and sagacity. Linking this corridor with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would create conditions conducive for setting up a booming regional economic hub, with the potential of becoming an Asean-like market. The accelerated physical infrastructure activity associated with the upgrading of the Gwadar port, the construction of a state-of-the-art airport nearby, the building of an economic zone in the same vicinity plus the launching of a number of power plants have the potential of not only generating job opportunities for our educated, skilled and semi-skilled workers, but can also give a boost to our economy, decreasing its dependence on foreign assistance.
Another priority on our wish list for 2016 would be the continued improvement of the law and order situation in the country, especially Karachi, which would once again become the city of lights. In addition, we hope for the devolution of political and financial powers to the local governments although this might look like a tall order right now. Next on our wish list would be the freeing of Fata from the draconian FCR and its possible merger with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). With the peace dividends accruing from India-Pakistan amity and the defeat of terrorism, required resources would be released for affordable education, health cover, housing and transport facilities to all citizens. The PTI will turn K-P into a model province and the PPP and MQM would join hands to make Sindh a corruption-free and peaceful province. And finally, civil-military relations would become as ideal as the Constitution dictates them to be.
But going by Pakistan’s past record, the wish list is likely to remain just that. What is more likely to happen is that the war on terror will continue to linger on, and India-Pakistan and Pakistan-Afghanistan relations would continue to be held back by our security concerns. The CPEC might start taking shape during the year, but the lack of capacities in various areas is likely to affect its completion schedule. The law and order situation would be as good or as bad as it is today, with the Rangers’ operations in Karachi continuing at the same pace as in the immediate past. The PTI is likely to be ever more critical of the PML-N government, while the PPP will continue to soft-peddle its role of being the main parliamentary opposition. And civil-military relations would continue to remain as uneasy as they are today.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2016.
To start with, one would certainly wish to see the war on terror come to its logical conclusion with the terrorists completely vanquished. The TTP would hopefully become history during the year and a lasting solution to the conundrum posed by the situation in Afghanistan would also be found, through cooperation between the legitimately-elected government in Kabul and Islamabad.
As a follow-up to the fast-paced and positive developments on the India-Pakistan front, the two countries would hopefully enter into meaningful bilateral talks under what has been labelled as the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue, with the Musharraf-Manmohan four-step formula on Kashmir revived and the disputed territory demilitarised as a first step towards finding a lasting solution to the problem. Meanwhile, trade with India would also hopefully resume tentatively, along with the re-establishment of economic relations between the two countries. One would also wish that Pakistan agrees to give a transit trade route through the country to India and Afghanistan in return for a well thought-out and mutually beneficial quid pro quo.
Developing an India-Pakistan-Afghanistan-Central Asia-Iran economic corridor can be a possibility if the leaders of these countries show wisdom, foresight and sagacity. Linking this corridor with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would create conditions conducive for setting up a booming regional economic hub, with the potential of becoming an Asean-like market. The accelerated physical infrastructure activity associated with the upgrading of the Gwadar port, the construction of a state-of-the-art airport nearby, the building of an economic zone in the same vicinity plus the launching of a number of power plants have the potential of not only generating job opportunities for our educated, skilled and semi-skilled workers, but can also give a boost to our economy, decreasing its dependence on foreign assistance.
Another priority on our wish list for 2016 would be the continued improvement of the law and order situation in the country, especially Karachi, which would once again become the city of lights. In addition, we hope for the devolution of political and financial powers to the local governments although this might look like a tall order right now. Next on our wish list would be the freeing of Fata from the draconian FCR and its possible merger with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). With the peace dividends accruing from India-Pakistan amity and the defeat of terrorism, required resources would be released for affordable education, health cover, housing and transport facilities to all citizens. The PTI will turn K-P into a model province and the PPP and MQM would join hands to make Sindh a corruption-free and peaceful province. And finally, civil-military relations would become as ideal as the Constitution dictates them to be.
But going by Pakistan’s past record, the wish list is likely to remain just that. What is more likely to happen is that the war on terror will continue to linger on, and India-Pakistan and Pakistan-Afghanistan relations would continue to be held back by our security concerns. The CPEC might start taking shape during the year, but the lack of capacities in various areas is likely to affect its completion schedule. The law and order situation would be as good or as bad as it is today, with the Rangers’ operations in Karachi continuing at the same pace as in the immediate past. The PTI is likely to be ever more critical of the PML-N government, while the PPP will continue to soft-peddle its role of being the main parliamentary opposition. And civil-military relations would continue to remain as uneasy as they are today.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 1st, 2016.