Why Pakistan needs to mend its ways!

The year 2022 was tumultuous, to say the least, for Pakistan. It saw everything. Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power through a vote of no-confidence. The economy went from bad to worse. Monsoon rains broke all previous records, inundating a third of the country and affecting 33 million people. The dreaded TTP staged a comeback. General Qamar Javed Bajwa finally took off his uniform after serving as the country’s army chief for six years. In a nutshell, Pakistan’s woes only got deeper in 2022.

With this huge baggage, the future looks bleak. Year 2023 is the election year, but that may just be an event and is unlikely to pull the country out of the current quagmire. How did we reach this stage? Of course, it has not happened overnight. The fact is that Pakistan since its independence has never had a clear plan. Successive governments pursued short-term policies with no clear vision. For example our balance-of-payments problem is as old as Pakistan. But thanks to the Cold War and our alliance with the West, we did manage thus far. Our friends — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and China — have come to our rescue every time we were on the verge of default. Our friends helped us in the hope that their assistance would be used to address the chronic economic challenges. However, as the time goes by, we have become habitual. Every new government used the same trick — rushed to friends for a financial bailout package. Take for instance the previous three dispensations. When Nawaz Sharif became the PM for a record third time in 2013, Pakistan was facing a balance-of-payments crisis. Like in the past, Saudi Arabia came to Pakistan’s help. When Imran Khan became the PM, his government too had to seek a financial bailout package from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. When Imran lost a vote of no-confidence, the coalition government led by PM Shehbaz Sharif did the same — requested for more loans from friendly countries.

But the same trick cannot work all the time. This has exactly happened in our case. Our friends, international financial institutions and others have now come to the conclusion that Pakistan is a habitual beggar and has no interest in mending its ways. It is because of this reason that now the IMF and friendly countries are not willing to bail us out easily without us first fulfilling their tough conditions. In fact there is a growing consensus between the international lending agencies and bilateral donors, including our friendly countries, to work in tandem when it comes to giving
us financial assistance. For example, unlike in the past, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and even China have linked the financial assistance to us first meeting the IMF conditions. This speaks of our lack of credibility not among the international financial institutions but also our friends.

The message for Pakistan is clear: do course correction or face the consequences. What should we do now? The simple answer is: this country cannot run on a recipe we have used for decades. It has to change and change quickly. The first thing this country needs is a clear break from the past. For so long this nation has been caught in the power struggle between Islamabad and Pindi. The security establishment has publicly admitted its role in political matters, and has assured staying away now and let the civilian dispensation take charge. It’s easier said than done. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon our civilian leadership, tainted with corruption allegations and poor governance record, to use this opportunity to prove they are capable of running this country. All political forces must pledge not to seek the security establishment’s help for power. The GHQ must also seriously think about rolling back its economic ventures and focus on the job at hand — defend the territorial borders of the country. If we aren’t going to learn from our follies, we must brace ourselves for even bigger disasters in 2023!