Afghanistan, a country engaged in bloody turmoil for the last 33 years, was once a sovereign nation with a thriving agricultural backbone and a promising future in progressive terms but which is now, financially and to a large extent morally, bankrupt. Heavily dependent on foreign handouts, foreign troops, foreign reconstruction programmes, foreign investment and foreign exploitation, the country is a basketcase; systematically being stripped of its assets by profit-hungry power-brokers with absolutely no concern for the ‘hearts and minds’ of the deprived populace. Basic commodities including food are imported at a tremendous cost, as is — thanks to a river water-sharing agreement with Iran — a certain amount of bottled water sourced from an Afghan river flowing in to Iran whose processed water is then sold back, at a profit of course. The country, with or without the ongoing Taliban insurgency, is on its knees and unless something miraculous happens, it could very well enter its death throes — a situation which would unleash tremendous repercussions throughout adjoining regions including, right here in Pakistan, where many, not all, of its problems are replicated.
Unlike Afghanistan, the impending downfall of Pakistan is not rooted in Communist intervention but in an entire range of suicidal tendencies: the majority of the educated elite have long since left these shores and vast numbers of people, educated and otherwise, are increasingly desperate to join them. Our agriculture, thanks to mismanagement and the vagaries of climate change, is fast becoming a thing of the past. Our industries are being crippled by an escalating lack of power, educational standards are rapidly decreasing, rampant corruption rules the roots, the rich get richer at the cost of a shrinking middle-class, the swelling ranks of the various shades of so-called Taliban create bloody mayhem at every opportunity and our valiant army is bogged down on all fronts. All is definitely not as it should be in this ‘Land of the Pure’.
Those in a position to recognise the warning bells, emanating from across our western and northwestern border, however, appear doggedly determined to ignore the lessons so clearly evident from the Afghan imbroglio, choosing to bury their heads in their bank accounts and illicit safety deposit boxes yet perfectly prepared, at any given moment, to hurriedly abandon the sinking ship like the rats they are — leaving those with less, if any, resources to battle it out as best they can.
With the writing so clearly on the wall and in capital letters at that, it is to be hoped that someone, somewhere will grab the reigns of initiative and reverse the impending Pakistani implosion, before we too, disappear down the same sinkhole as the one currently feasting on Afghanistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2011.
COMMENTS (10)
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We have upgraded our enemy ( From India to USA ) by no choice of ours and the writing on the wall is clear that we ought to fight it out come what may. We shall defend every inch of our land and god almighty has trained us in the shape floods, earthquakes and every kind of loadshedding. Our elite whether politicians, civil servants or the khaki top brass till now have enjoyed the resources of this land. They may now start enjoying the hospitality of their masters whome they had been serving till now. As as long as they remain here our future looks bleak. We can fight our enemy well without them.
Looking inwards is what will save us, the enemy resides within us. .A very good article that reflects the despondency all around,----------------but lets not lose hope.
After ex-President Rabbani's assassination, Pakistanis should realise that the bells tolling in Kabul are actually tolling for thee.
unless we change our attitude to everyone else, and start accepting the massive dirty games that we have played to show off more than what we can chew, unless we learn to live according to our size", unless we learn to introspect and accept our thousands of mistakes right from 1947, unless we stop telling lies in books and speeches,and live with our heads under sand blaming everyone else, nothing will change here and as the author said, " we will implode"
The day people like Hameed Gul are tried and convicted for their crimes will be the day when we make a material change, till then there is little hope.
Sadly what you say here is true, but neither the political parties nor the echelons of establishments have best interest of the country at heart. Pride and prejudice has become overall PAK character. The leaders and bureaucrats live opulently in UK, France, US, or Dubai once their term is over as if their job is done once they leave their office.
Building a nation takes time and sacrifice, and time lost can not be recovered. After 60+ years, is PAK self sufficient in food, health care, education, energy, industries, human resources etc?
The warning bells were ringing for a long time, but PAK decided to bury their head in sand with their pride and prejudice.
I am afraid that either Afghanistan will move forward leaving PAK behind with its nukes or PAK will go through the turmoil of Afghanistan for internal reasons.