Cut a path of hope

Pakistan may not be faced with threat of hostile forces at its borders, but existential threats are no less stark

As Britain stood alone facing the onslaught of Hitler’s forces, Churchill thundered in the parliament, “Of this I am quite sure, that if we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” With his mastery of the English language, Churchill bolstered the nation’s resolve to gradually turn the tide of humiliating retreat to glorious victory.

Pakistan today may not be faced with the threat of hostile forces at its borders, but the existential threats are no less stark. As Imran Khan contends with the onerous tasks of the Prime Minister’s office, the dark clouds of economic chaos left behind by his predecessors still hang gloomily over our heads. He has done well not to exhibit any sign of despondency; or be overly burdened by past missteps of earlier regimes. Rather, he has tried to look forward to a brighter future.

It is equally important that opinion makers and media understand that it is not poverty, lack of education, radicalization, and external imbalances that are the greatest threats but rather self-indulgent pathos, which if allowed to fester, has all the potential to lay us low. Most countries have faced critical tests at some point in their history that define them. In most, the intelligentsia and the leadership provide the vision of hope in the bleakest hour.

The hardworking and generally tolerant populous remain voiceless, yet hopeful. They have little option but to remain hopeful. They seek no more than to have their boundless energy harnessed towards seeing their gentle aspirations come to fruition. This nation of over 200 million people is as capable as any to achieve all that is self-evidently good. It is for the best and bravest to show the way forward and most shall follow. This requires that the leadership and all those that have been blessed most from this country demonstrate a clarity of vision to think big and be bold. This is not a time merely for rhetorical skills but to put forward concrete ideas of how they envisage this country’s future internally as well as how it interfaces internationally. It also requires an ability see derivative consequences of utterances and actions.

There has to be accountability but that should appear to be a witch-hunt or give opponents of the process have cause to claim political victimization. Prime Minister Khan has been careful to reiterate that the process shall be across the board, and as applicable to his own party members as it will for others. It is therefore incumbent on institutions executing justice to demonstrate their scrupulous independence, and government Ministers and spokespersons need to exercise restraint in commenting on matters beyond their remit. If the process is not only fair but also seen to be so, it will serve as a model for all times to come.

The PM has correctly stated that this nation’s vast majority have suffered much at the hands of a rapacious rent seeking elite. The arc of moral universe may suggest comeuppance for those who have benefited much, but over the years contributed little to the treasury. The government must expand the tax net and make the income tax regime more progressive than it has been. The wealthiest and those that benefited most from the system should now contribute back most to it. While it must ensure equity, the government must be wary of conveying any impression of retribution. Social justice can often mask the politics of envy, which unleashes the worst of human impulses. The best of intentions of the French revolution were undone by the excesses of the Committee of Public Safety. The leadership must not be held back by the ghosts of the past; but rather inspire towards the future such that it cuts a clear path of hope.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2018.

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