Concerns and wishes for 2019

In many ways, 2018 was an extraordinary year for Pakistan. The politics was vicious and personalised. Imran Khan harped endlessly on corruption of PML-N and PPP leaders and was successful in obtaining for the PTI a slim majority at the national level and in Punjab. He enjoyed the confidence of the military and judiciary in sharp contrast to his opponents, the Sharif brothers and Zardari, who were mostly busy fighting their alleged corruption cases going back decades. How these developments will shape the politics of future only time would tell. But few things are easy to discern. Corruption has to be tackled as the top most priority if the country is to come out from falling over the precipice. It also cannot remain selective and targeted at political opponents alone but be across the board and uniformly applied to all institutions. One would like the government and NAB to pursue these cases diligently but without the sensationalism and outside interference. And the executive branch of the government needing to display greater restraint from passing personal verdicts while the cases are pending in courts.

Undoubtedly, the political clout of the military that has traditionally been strong was further strengthened. And so has the judiciary spread its power base in areas that were considered to be in the exclusive domain of the political government and bureaucratic control. The positive side is that Imran Khan has good functional relationship with both the military and judiciary and enjoys their confidence. For these pillars of state to be working in unison for a critical national cause as eliminating corruption, improving governance and enhancing security is certainly a welcome development and will undoubtedly bear fruit in the coming year. Although one hopes that as democracy takes roots, this working relationship would be considered routine and a normal phenomenon. But for this the civilian government and politicians need to take full control of their responsibilities in the field of foreign affairs, defence and security and earn the confidence of the people so that the military and judiciary can then confine themselves to their traditional dedicated roles. Our history is witness to the enormous harm that has come to us as a consequence of these lopsided responsibilities in 1971 and Kargil, to recall a few.

Pakistani leaders will have to open their minds and look at the world from how it has transformed itself. If the leadership remains hidebound and a victim of petty prejudices based on ethnicity, provincialism and sectarianism they would be closing all doors to progress.

Moreover, for Pakistan’s transformation and exit from the perpetual state of crisis whether it be political, economic or social, mere development in the form of physical infrastructure is not sufficient. What should be accorded the highest priority is the development of ‘human software’. To illustrate the point Pakistan cannot expect to genuinely progress merely by successfully implementing CPEC, which is mostly physical infrastructure — power plants, roads and highways and ports unless it is complimented by ‘software’. Thereby implying that its people receive education and skills that too of the right type, compatible with requirements of the modern scientific and technological era. It is educative to take a look at how China achieved its phenomenal progress. Apart from laying maximum emphasis on scientific and engineering education for its younger generation, it developed the ability to design and develop products. Initially, this meant copying and borrowing technology and designs from foreign sources. But with passage of time China’s research and development sector is getting stronger and many sophisticated products are being produced indigenously. So, for our government to rely on foreign assistance in one form or the other and obtaining a loan of a few billion dollars from allies should at best be a part of short-term measures.

The military’s sacrifices in the fight against terror continued. They guarded the western and eastern borders with the highest level of vigilance. Many brave soldiers and officers lost their lives or were injured while on duty. As long as Afghanistan does not stabilise and relations with India do not move towards normalisation, blood would continue to spill on both sides of the border. It is possible that in 2019 the Afghan government and Taliban will come to a political understanding that would be good for Pakistan. We expect the Taliban to also engage with the Afghan government.

Non-traditional threats of climate change and population control remained central concerns of the chief justice and honourable judges during the year. Sane and knowledgeable voices have been raising alarm bells for quite a few years, as there would be serious consequences if the population keeps increasing at the current rate of 2%. Having raised awareness on these vital national issues it is expected that the provincial and federal governments would pursue population control and water conservation and storage programmes seriously.

The chief justice was firm and relentless in getting unauthorised construction demolished in all major cities. He also ordered legal action against powerful contractors who in league with top politicians deprived the poor or robbed the state of their lands. The flip side was that in the process several thousands of innocent people suffered and were deprived of their livelihood. What future holds for them is uncertain. There was also criticism that certain actions were not necessary and altered the friendly character of the cities and this was particularly true for Karachi and Lahore. Who is going to be responsible for the rehabilitation and compensation to the affected persons is the central question. The chief ministers and other officials have made vague promises but if the past is any guide these seldom materialise and are mostly implemented half-heartedly.

We hope in the coming year the judiciary will focus on expediting thousands of pending cases that are causing untold misery to litigants and those affected. And the political leadership would fulfil its governance responsibilities with greater earnestness. In short, we all have a responsibility to change Pakistan for the better.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2019.

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