Crisis of hope

Pakistan's crisis of hope stems from leadership failure, corruption, and instability, hindering national progress.

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Hope is the last resort to deal with a crisis situation and its end would mean gloom, despair and pessimism. When youth lose hope for a better future, the outcome is permeation of anger, antagonism, intolerance, radicalisation, violence and terrorism. Brain drain is also an impact of losing hope.

Pakistan is a country which is blessed with natural beauty and mineral resources. The country has rivers, mountains, deserts and a long coastline but it is fast losing hope for a better future. Crisis of hope is reflected in each and every segment of society where 240 million people are unable to transform challenges into opportunities. The icon of any hope is the mindset of leadership which acts as a driving force and a catalyst for generating confidence, optimism, courage and faith. What is missing in the case of Pakistan is a leadership that is hardworking, intelligent, honest and visionary. Crisis of hope is thus a logical outcome of a situation marred with extreme danger. When hope is missing, particularly among the youth, one can anticipate degeneration of society and fragility of state structures. It is the state which is supposed to play a leadership role in managing a crisis situation – something that is missing in the case of Pakistan.

One can cite the examples of Japan, Germany, China, Russia and many other countries where the crisis of hope for a long period of time derailed the process of development and stability. Yet, it was the leadership in these countries that transformed gloom and pessimism into optimism. There are ample examples of failing countries turning into major powers through sheer determination, coupled with vision, planning and hardwork.

Failure to make use of natural and mineral resources means either the country's education system is in a shambles or there is absence of strategic mindset to come up with beneficial and far-sighted policies. In the evening of December 20, 1971 when there was widespread gloom and pessimism in Pakistan following the breakup of the country, a ray of hope emerged when Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – taking charge as President and Chief Martial Law Administrator – addressed the nation and assured his countrymen: "We will build a new Pakistan." This galvanised the morale of the people who were in a state of shock on hearing about the surrender of Pakistani armed forces in Dhaka. Not only had Pakistan lost its majority province, it had also conceded 5,000 km of its territory in the western wing and its 90,000 military and civilian personal had ended up in Indian prison camps.

Hope was restored among the people of Pakistan when ZAB's leadership made concerted efforts to reestablish the country's prestige internationally. Within a few months, the crisis of hope – which had set in after the Fall of Dhaka – started waning and was soon replaced by optimism and confidence. It is another story that efforts to rebuild Pakistan failed to sustain and the country faced a grave crisis following the March 1977 general elections, featuring violent agitation against ZAB's government that culminated into the imposition of the country's longest martial law. Since then, Pakistan has not been able to recover from the crisis of hope.

Why does this crisis of hope still persist in Pakistan and why is there no light at the end of the tunnel? Crisis of governance, absence of rule of law, fragility of economy, political instability and erosion of work ethics, negatively influencing the performance of state institutions, cannot be overlooked. When the country somehow takes one step forward, it is soon found two steps backward.

This well-entrenched crisis of hope in Pakistan needs to be analysed from three sides.

First, there is a serious lack of leadership to motivate people for a better future. In fact, in most cases, negative approach harboured by the leadership has resulted in debacles. For instance, the hope to revitalise PIA, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Steel Mills and other collapsing public-sector institutions failed to materialise because of the presence of corrupt and preferred people at the helm of affairs. When motivation as well as integrity, hard work and intelligence are not to be seen, the result is an environment of gloom and pessimism. Crisis of hope is also reinforced when there is lack of seriousness and pursuance of professional approach to attain and maintain standards in governance, rule of law and institutional building.

Second, since 1980s onwards, the crisis of hope deepened in the state and societal structures of Pakistan when merit was compromised giving space to corruption and nepotism. When one witnesses success stories of India, Bangladesh, the UAE, Singapore, South Korea, China and other countries – which were far behind Pakistan on major social, political and economic indicators – the result is the deepening of the crisis of hope. When the economic growth rate of Pakistan, value of its currency, volume of foreign exchange reserves, exports and per capita income are not as impressive as the aforementioned countries and there is no plausible effort to improve things, the result is further augmentation of the crisis of hope. Dealing with this long persisting crisis of hope in Pakistan is difficult, but not impossible. It needs a paradigm shift in the mindset of elites and policymakers. There is need for our rulers to learn from the success stories of the countries that lagged behind Pakistan not too long ago. The powers that really matter need to change their priorities and focus on bettering the economy, bringing political stability and ensuring rule of law and inclusive mode of governance. Qualitative change in eradicating corruption and nepotism at all levels is a must in order to reinforce hope for a better future.

Third, since an empty mind is a devil's paradise, hope can only be generated if the environment is work-oriented and productive. Unfortunately, there is an absence of proper work ethics; wastage of time is common; the culture of gossiping is ruining productivity; and there is lack of accountability, particularly in state-owned institutions – all furthering the practices of corruption and nepotism. When the environment is not work-oriented and lethargy is prevalent, how can one expect hope to emerge? When 25 million children in the country are out of school and beggary is rampant, hope cannot sustain.

The only way Pakistan can ensure progress and development is by overcoming the prevailing crisis of hope. When those owning wealth and power tend to buy properties abroad instead of investing in their own country, and those having education and skills look for greener pastures abroad, it points towards further aggravation of the crisis of hope that has gripped the nation for far too long.