Pakistan’s narrative of progress

When you can clearly see a nation for what it could be, you wish for it to correct its perspective and attain the prosperity it ought to. Such is the case of Pakistan. Those who are concerned about its future wonder why it continues to lumber down a path strewn with self-inflicted troubles. Mostly this frustrates, but sometimes it pains one to see the tremendous potential that Pakistan has and witness it go unfulfilled year after year.

From memogate to the recent tragic deaths of armed forces personnel in Mohmand, we are all well-versed with the markers along Pakistan’s downward spiral. Perhaps, the only bright spot in the last six months has been the emergence of a third political force in the country, which offers hope for socio-economic justice. Generally speaking, the response to these recent challenges has been typical; attribution of all problems to external factors, while domestic actors are absolved of blame. This attitude — lack of an ability to introspect — is at the heart of Pakistan’s ills. With introspection we can not only understand why we have reached the present state, but address today’s problems in a manner which separates symptoms from root causes. For example, is violent extremism in our society just an outcome of Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy, or also a by-product of the state’s failure to provide access to justice and education which encourages pluralism? Can the civil-military balance ever be corrected by governments which lack credibility and are unable to deliver good governance? With what face do political actors who belong to such dispensations demand more power, when they are unable to effectively discharge the responsibilities they already hold? Is the question of military intervention still open to debate, after witnessing all that Ziaul Haq’s policies did to weaken the social contract? Many other such questions come to mind.

What Pakistan requires most urgently, is a narrative of progress — a vision which recognises the diversity of Pakistan’s ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds as a competitive advantage, rather than a source of contention; one which enables Pakistanis to realise that they truly have a lot to offer the world. Though such a vision can only be provided by a credible political leadership, it cannot be done in the absence of citizen participation. Apathy towards the political process cannot be an option. Pakistan’s citizens must play their role in demanding socio-economic reform from the state, asking the right questions from emerging players in the political arena and, above all, making sure they are counted on polling day. More than ever before, correcting our course is now of grave importance. For, unlike the many challenges Pakistan has braved in the past, this time the greatest threat is from social fissures within the country.

In search of this vision, the complaint cannot be made that guidance does not exist. The All-India Muslim League possessed excellent leadership which articulated the ideals that Pakistan was to uphold as a responsible state of the world. Neither must we be constrained by the fact that after the initial years, successive leaders distorted and tainted those ideals to suit their myopic concerns. It is time to move on. By revisiting the views of Iqbal, Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah Aga Khan III, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and the Quaid-e-Azam, we can regain the narrative lost not so long ago. Upon regaining it, it must be instrumentalised and its message disseminated through educational curricula, news media and investment in literature and popular culture. These are initiatives which, in addition to the state, private citizens can promote, and must now do so increasingly in a manner which broadens reach beyond the affluent classes

Above all, revisiting the vision of the personalities involved in the foundation of Pakistan is important for the country’s current and aspiring leadership — civilian and military. This will help the country not only in dealing with the issues at home, but also in finding its place in an increasingly interconnected world. For this effort to succeed, both Pakistan’s civilian and its military leaders will have to act in unison to prioritise socio-economic progress at home, invest significantly in human development and struggle for a country which imbibes ethnic and religious pluralism. As citizens, it will remain our responsibility to continue to remind them to do so. Granted, we are very far away from such a stage, but it is what must be done.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2011.

Note: This article has been revised. The original version appeared in the print edition.