Why and how to put our house in order?

Back in January 2018, the prime minister Nawaz Sharif called for “putting our own house in order” to dispel negative perceptions about Pakistan in the world. He said, “There is a need to examine our character and actions with sincerity. We need to understand why our narrative is dismissed. If it is ignored and described as being against the national interest, this will be nothing but self-deception… which has already led to the fragmentation of Pakistan once before.” Currently, Pakistan is entrenched in deep economic and political crises and the country’s global image has been tarnished. This shows that the house is still not in order and political parties and institutions responsible for ensuring stability have failed to perform.

To understand why and how to put the house in order, we need to examine and analyse the ground realities of the country. Principles, values, morality, integrity and work ethics have all eroded, which is reflected in rampant corruption, nepotism, intolerance, extremism and the use of abusive language in political discourse. The recent attack at the Confucius Institute, University of Karachi, as well as the indecent behaviour of PTI supporters against Shehbaz Sharif’s delegation in Masjid-e-Nabwi, reflect a total breakdown of society. These events have tainted the image of Pakistan globally and have overshadowed the positive happenings in the country.

After losing power through the no-confidence motion, former prime minister Imran Khan has created a narrative that is dividing the Pakistani society and justifying abuses against his political opponents. Given that Imran Khan was removed through a constitutional process, he should have remained prudent and followed a peaceful course of action. By pedaling such a dangerous rhetoric, the PTI chairman is essentially dragging Pakistan to the brink of a civil war. However, Pakistan cannot afford further chaos, polarisation, long marches and violence because the national economy is already on the verge of collapse.

Uncivilised behaviour has become a norm in Pakistan, which reflects a sharp deterioration of values and ethics. Traits that are essential for character building i.e. civility and respectability have diminished in society which is highly likely to result in anarchy and disorder. People can no longer distinguish between right and wrong and good and bad. With each passing day, polarisation is deepening among in the society and tolerance and patience among the people are shrinking.

There is an urgent need to put the house in order for paving the way for economic recovery, political stability, rule of law, good governance and accountability. Otherwise, the country’s survival will be at stake. However, the leadership alone cannot put the house in order; people should also promote tolerance, patience, peace, sanity and decency in human relations. Without constructive change, Pakistan will descend into a failed state, which will jeopardise the lives of the 220 million citizens of the country. Pakistani society has already suffered from a lot of damage because of this culture of intolerance, violence, corruption and nepotism. The degeneration of social values and ethics will further augment frustration among the public, particularly the youth, and result in civil conflict. Therefore, there is a need to alleviate these detrimental practices. Unfortunately though, it is extremely difficult to put the house in order because our values, ethics, integrity, tolerance and patience have already suffered a colossal damage.

To put our house in order, we need to undertake three measures.

First, the economy should be stabilised, as it is currently in dire straits because of a long persisting trade deficit, meagre foreign exchange reserves, and surging public debt. Getting frequent bailout packages from friendly countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, is not going to help prevent an imminent economic collapse unless a policy of pursuing self-reliance, adopting austerity, enhancing exports and reducing unnecessary imports, and broadening the tax base is rigorously followed. There is also the need to eradicate corruption and nepotism so as to protest the state resources. At the state and societal level, professionalism and adherence to merit need to be ensured in order to help transform the corrupt culture in the country into a vibrant and promising one.

Second, focusing on better education and training at the grassroots level would yield positive results because there is a strong link between education and ethics, values, respect and tolerance in society. Thus, a strong education system will help promote tolerance, peace, positivity, creativity, innovation, good governance, rule of law and purposeful accountability. The ugly scenes at Masjid-e-Nabwi, the lynching of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot on blasphemy allegations, and the attack on Chinese teachers in Karachi would not have taken place, had our society been tolerant, peaceful and civilised.

Finally, there is a need to learn lessons from successful global models of development. Despite having an impoverished past, many countries have achieved economic progress and political stability — something that Pakistan can learn from. Societies that are knowledgeable, responsible, visionary, persevering, prudent and have a good work ethic do not face hurdles in putting their house in order. India is one example as it has managed to put its house in order despite the surge of Hindu nationalism and fanaticism. Unlike Pakistan, India is not faced with an ‘image’ problem internationally because the behaviour of its nationals has not brought a bad reputation to their country.

Our leadership must reconsider its approach of dealing with the affairs of the state and society on an urgent basis because it is running out of time. Each time signs of improvement in social, political and economic realms emerge, the process of recovery is derailed by different groups for their vested interests. Therefore, there is also the need to ensure that the recovery process remains smooth and steady.