Why Jinnah’s Pakistan failed to transform into a reality

In his pioneering book, Jinnah of Pakistan, noted American historian Stanley Wolpert writes: “Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.”

Seventy-five years down the road, it is time to ponder on why Quaid’s vision that led to the creation of Pakistan failed to transform into a reality. What eroded the idea of Pakistan as an Islamic, democratic and welfare state? Creating the state of Pakistan as a result of the freedom movement was one thing and transforming it into a vibrant and successful state was another. Jinnah made it clear that “we have undoubtedly achieved Pakistan, and that too without bloody war, practically peacefully, by moral and intellectual force, and with the power of the pen, which is no less mighty than that of the sword and so our righteous cause has triumphed. Pakistan is now a fait accompli and it can never be undone, besides, it was the only just, honourable, and practical solution to the most complex constitutional problem of this great subcontinent. Let us now plan to build and reconstruct and regenerate our great nation.”

Tolerance, peace, coexistence, democracy and the rule of law were the hallmarks of Jinnah, but his death a year after the creation of Pakistan unleashed the process of political instability, intrigues and derailment of democracy. Millions of Muslims had rendered sacrifices to create a new homeland but unfortunately, Jinnah’s Pakistan turned out to be a sanctuary of ‘mafias’ busy maximising their ill-gotten wealth. Misuse of power, corruption, nepotism and the genocide of merit became the order of the day. Why did Jinnah’s Pakistan, which should have been a role model for Muslims all over the world, turn out to be economically fragile and financially dependent on foreign loans? If Jinnah’s Pakistan has not emerged as a role model in the last 75 years, can it achieve laurels when it will celebrate its centenary in August 2047?

Pakistan was the first post-colonial state to disintegrate in 1971 and the ‘new Pakistan’ that the then President (later Prime Minister) of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto pledged to create after its fateful break-up in less than 25 years of its formation turned out to be a failed experiment. The nationalisation of state-owned institutions became a liability, and they were inundated with people below merit. For instance, PIA once used to be the pride of the country and internationally renowned because of its standard and quality of service. However, it downgraded to such an extent that Emirates Airlines, which was established with PIA’s assistance, became the world’s best airline. Banks, insurance companies, schools and colleges, which were nationalised during ZAB’s regime, degenerated and had to be denationalised after his government was overthrown on 5^th July 1977.

Perhaps, the biggest casualty in Jinnah’s Pakistan was merit and the rule of law as Quaid considered both principles fundamental for the success of the new state. Pakistan drifted away from Quaid’s vision with the erosion of merit and the rule of law and instead, a culture of sycophancy, corruption and nepotism was promoted. Had this not been the case, Pakistan would not have ranked poorly in global human development indices. In 2021, United Nations Development Program ranked Pakistan 152 out of 189 countries in the human development index. The erosion of ethics and values that are the backbone of a nation’s culture further contributed to the degeneration of the country’s economy, politics and governance.

Three short and long-term measures at the state and societal levels need to be undertaken to transform Jinnah’s Pakistan into a reality.

First, to cope with a default-like situation, Pakistan must revert to austerity and simplicity in lifestyle. It is shameful to see individuals in positions of power proclaim that the country will be better off with foreign loans and recover from the economic crisis much quicker. How can a country recover from its economic predicaments with borrowed money and for how long can it do so? Despite the rampant inflation and price hikes, the VIP culture remains intact. This is because the feudal mindset responsible for the degeneration of Pakistan’s economy, politics, governance and rule of law continues unabated.

It is startling to see the extravagant lifestyle of a handful of elites when the country has a domestic and foreign debt of $150 billion. The country’s literacy rate is only 60% with an absence of widespread educational and recreational facilities. The state has failed to provide clean and safe drinking water, good health facilities and public transportation.

Second, time management, planning, ownership of the country and conservation of resources will enforce a purposeful work ethic. It will allow the country to refocus on maximising exports, plugging loopholes in tax collection, seeking indicators in good governance and rule of law, meeting the challenges of climate change, and transforming Pakistan into an educated and enlightened nation. Many individuals can achieve laurels for Pakistan, but without motivation and financial support, their talent and skills go in vain. Unfortunately, most Pakistanis have succumbed to laziness, incompetence, irresponsibility and greed — something which has deepened indifference about important matters. For that matter, the role of leadership is crucial because, without its direction and support, a paradigm shift cannot take place in Pakistan. If the leadership is devoid of important characteristics like hard work, intelligence, integrity, vision, commitment, dedication, adherence to merit and rule of law, it cannot transform Quaid’s dream into a reality.

Third, taxpayers’ money should be used for welfare and development of the people. However, the elites misuse public money and are not held accountable for corruption and nepotism, which is a gross violation of Jinnah’s principles.

Considering that 75 years have already been wasted, one has little hope for the country to turn things around in the next 25 years before Pakistan’s centenary. To turn the country into an economic powerhouse, Pakistan must focus on dealing with the aforementioned issues. Otherwise, it will remain economically fragile, and politically unstable with poor implementation of the rule of law and bad governance.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2022.

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