Sovereignty or servitude: nation at the crossroads
The writer is associated with Burki Institute of Public Policy. He holds degrees from London School of Economics and Wye College London and has 39 years of experience in policy and strategy formulation, development planning and programming. He can be reached at snshahidnajam@gmail.com
Pakistan stands at a critical juncture. Political uncertainty, economic instability, soaring inflation and rising societal despair seem to pervasively afflict the country with no respite or hope of upturn on the immediate horizon. The unprecedented devastations caused by the recent floods unleashing death, disease, hunger, malnutrition and loss of livelihood of millions of people, especially the poor, speak volumes of the development planning deficit and delinquent neglect of severity of the impact of climate change by the successive governments.
The ubiquitous incidence of pilferage, corruption and mismanagement, even of the relief and rescue assistance to the flood victims, who continue to helplessly oscillate between existence and extinction, is indicative of the callousness of the ruling elite and magnitude of governance dysfunction and rampant corruption in the country.
Instead of attending to the enormity of these challenges, the coterie is ignominiously engaged in pleasing the external seigniors and begging their patronage to retain the power by fair or foul means. In the process, it has decimated and discredited the accountability and justice systems, dismantled the institutions, wrecked the economy, exacerbated the political crisis and exacted a huge setback to the international repute and standing of the country. The massive geo-strategic and geo-economic strength of the country has been reduced to a filial liability. The fundamental questions which constantly haunt and baffle our minds — of the ordinary and the intellectuals — continue to ricochet:
Are we faithful to the declaration made by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah that Pakistan would be a sovereign democratic state based on Islamic principles of social justice or do we stoically submit to the tyranny of autocratic regimes — the continuation of colonial legacy of servitude? Do we nurture and establish our collective identity and existence as independent dignified nation or merely bow down as a satellite state dancing to the tune and dictates of external choreographers?
Sovereignty signifies the ultimate authority to oversee and steward the decision-making process of the state. It represents a strong compact between the troika of citizens, state and government. It derives its legitimacy from the supremacy of the collective will of the citizens expressed through democratic order which intrinsically and quintessentially upholds the sovereignty of the voice and will of the people. True sovereignty also means the independence of the country from external directions or influence in the conduct of national and international affairs. Denial or dilution of this very sovereignty through legal, extra-legal means or internal engineering and external dictates not only denudes democracy of its inherent spirit and legitimacy but also mutilates national identity and integrity.
Servitude, on the other end of the spectrum, in simple terms, is the condition of being a slave or being forced to work for others or do their bidding without consent or against will. The autocratic-super-imposed regimes invariably employ overt and covert devices and exploitative means to command servitude of the people as well as other state organs to pursue their narrow interests. In the international arena, the powerful states use their military deterrence, tied foreign assistance and coercive diplomacy to secure servitude and compliance of the weak and vulnerable countries towards realising their strategic goals often to the great detriment of the satellite-servile state. Both the internal and external actors support the expediency-based institutionalised alliance of the corrupt and rapacious breed of self-seekers to implement their nefarious designs. They relentlessly propagate a mendacious narrative through instrumentalised media to induce acquiescence or submissiveness of the citizens.
Pakistan cannot afford to procrastinate the decades-old ambivalence between sovereignty and servitude. The preamble of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, while reaffirming the sovereignty of Allah Almighty over the entire universe, unequivocally recognises the authority and sovereignty of the will of the people of Pakistan. A reference may also be made to Article 2 of the United Nations Charter 1945 which clearly stipulates and recognises the principle of sovereign equality of all its members.
The nation as a whole has to make a conscious, firm and final choice between sovereignty and servitude — both at the national and international levels. The moment of synchronicity is indeed ripe in the wake of resurgence of the collective conscience of the people. The major challenges and issues are explicit, clear and plain: Have we to timidly acquiesce to the antiquated, well-entrenched social inequities and asymmetrical power structure which constrain the free exercise of the collective will of the people on political, economic and socio-cultural matters? Is the sovereignty of people enshrined in the Constitution to be violated ad infinitum by frequent institutional aberrations in league with corrupt, deceitful and unscrupulous clique of politicians?
On the international front, we have to decide if we are to be dictated and treated as weakling vermin by the powerful external intimidators to submissively follow their injunctions with hands folded walking five steps behind or stand up with chin high to ensure and secure our sovereign national interests and strategic objectives.
The cost and toll of servitude will be colossal and irreversible both domestically and externally. Within, it will validate and legitimise the loss of freedom and liberty of 22 million people to exercise and expand their political, economic and socio-cultural rights and surrender to the callous clique who shamelessly fill their coffers with illicit gains and lead a luxurious life outside the country. It will squander away the sacrifices of young officers and soldiers who heroically laid down their lives for the peace and security of the country leaving behind mourning mothers, wailing widows and orphaned children. It will be a massive wastage of the talent and toil of our farmers, workers, industrialists, teachers, scholars and the youth of the country.
Without, the servitude to the decree of the external conductor, even in proxy terms, will lead to loss of dignity, identity, character and stature in the international community. The existence as a nation will be extremely demeaning and humiliating.
The only way forward is to immediately hold fair and free elections and let the people decide their destiny and the ultimate sovereign choice they wish to make for the kind of Pakistan they will bequeath to the posterity — a prosperous, progressive and proud Pakistan or submissive, subordinate and subservient satellite state.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2022.
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