The country is adrift

Pakistan’s destiny has been on an unpredictable course for years and the situation is not getting any better, to put it mildly. Most of the leaders remain oblivious to this reality and detached from the agonies and hardships of the masses. We claim to be a democratic country but continue to defy its fundamentals. There are several other questions that come to mind, but in essence, why is Pakistan on a self-destructive mode?

How is that 90 million people of Pakistan cannot read or write when this is the basic requirement that the state is supposed to ensure compliance with. Not only is it a basic human rights violation but a major cause of unemployment in the country. There is no effort on the part of provincial governments or the federal ministry to ensure that all eligible children are provided opportunity to attend school. This would require the administration to provide adequate funds by prioritising education even if it entails reducing allocation from other heads of accounts. For it is a fundamental right to acquire education up to the secondary level and demands a high priority.

In the last fifty years the world has witnessed the remarkable transformation of South East Asian nations that largely owes to how their leaders laid emphasis on quality education of their people. In Pakistan leadership has failed to realise its importance, while their priorities remain more to advance self-interest rather than that of the people. It is also unfortunate that most of them acquire power not on the basis of merit but family and group power, while using the cover of democracy. The irony is that as the population is increasing these numbers are shooting up because as the population grows so is the demand for new jobs. But with education facilities failing to keep pace with population growth even the present literacy rate cannot be maintained. As unemployment rises more young educated people would be opting to leave the country, although the contribution of educated population to promoting the economy is a significant factor.

Moreover, our population is young and growing while in case of major economies like China it is shrinking, providing a window to fill part of the vacuum. But Pakistan can only benefit provided it has an educated and well-trained youth, a critical element in the growth of industrial and agricultural production and of value to other countries. The intrinsic power of the nation depends, apart from managerial competence, on the state of health, educational level and relevant skills of its workforce. The export potential of the country is directly related to the ability of its people to produce goods of quality and be competitive in a tough international environment. But Pakistan is greatly handicapped as its industrial infrastructure is extremely outdated and not in a position to produce goods of quality to be internationally competitive. This is another factor that deters foreign companies from investing. The other major reasons why foreign capital is shying away is the adverse security situation. Even the citizens of China, with whom we have the strongest bonds, feel insecure. This is a grave challenge and is deep-rooted, requiring serious attention that regrettably is being addressed superficially.

We also need to reflect how is it that a country created on the basis of a wide democratic movement is least democratic even amongst the South Asian countries. And if the present state of democracy is any indication the future appears grim. Weak democracy and no desire on the part of leaders to set strong traditions to give internal strength to the country does not augur well for the future. A weak economy, political instability and multiple security challenges prevent us from exploiting the potential of the country’s geostrategic advantage that our unique geographic location offers. And so on, one can keep on adding to the list of our inadequacies.

But this is not to demoralise the reader but to emphasise on the untapped potential that the country offers. There is a dire urgency to address these perennial issues so that the destiny of the country could be set in the right direction. It is we, the people, the leaders — political and those of institutions that have the responsibility to bring about the transformation — who the onus lies with. For decades our people have been the worst victims of these shortcomings and hardly one sees any light at the end of the tunnel.

For any significant transformation, the country’s power structure has to change that draws strength from the people. This may not be easy to implement in our context, but is there any other way as we have tried many deviations but haven’t succeeded. In fact, this has been the greatest drag while the world has moved on. If our democratic governments draw its strength from the people and not propped up by the institutions, only then it will have their support for major changes even if it demands further sacrifices by imposing tight controls to achieve some tough outcomes. The present PML-N coalition government is only touching the peripheries as it lacks solid support of the people. It is not surprising that it is delaying elections on one pretext or the other. So, all the big talk of being the champion of democracy sounds so shallow. The most disturbing aspect is that every political party and institution has its own definition of democracy, wherein certain departures and deviations are made to suit their misguided version.

No doubt, it is highly trying times which the country is passing through, but we cannot let hope fade away because the country’s strength lies in its people more than in its leaders. Look at their resilience what hardships they are suffering. Many can hardly afford one or two meals a day. Last year one third of the country has borne the additional brunt of devastating floods and many are still waiting in the camps for their turn to be rehabilitated.

But the sad plight of masses fails to stir the conscience of our leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2023.

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