Committing diplomatic suicide?

I have listened to many talks on Pakistan in Washington DC recently, with nearly all giving a generally negative impression of our country. Pakistan on the Brink, Pakistan: A Nation at War With Itself, Playing with Fire: Pakistan At War With Itself. These are some books, written this year, about the violence that has engulfed Pakistan’s cities, the economic hardships and the deterioration of our institutions.

William Milan, a scholar who lived in Pakistan before the Afghan war days, said that analysts primarily understand Pakistan through Afghanistan and in the context of  ‘security’ issues, they don’t know its history. Still, I was shocked to meet a young member of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Congress who remarked that nothing substantive had happened over the last four years in Pakistan. I immediately responded, “all of our political parties came to a consensus agreement on amending over 100 clauses of our Constitution, with major positive implications on our democratic structure. Wouldn’t you consider that substantive”? No, he didn’t.

However, it is not just Americans who see Pakistan in a bad light. It has become all too easy for Pakistanis to blame one another or, most conveniently, blame the “corrupt politicians” for all our sins. But in so doing, we all contribute directly to the negative image of our country, creating the impression that no one in their right mind should have anything to do with us. Having stamped ourselves as a terrorist nation and a security threat to the world, we are moving towards diplomatic suicide.

Unfortunately, complaining and self-pity has become a part of our national psyche, sprinkled with a defeatist attitude that nothing can work in this country and topped with a tendency to pull anyone down who tries to make an effort. These characteristics clearly distinguish us from other nationalities who work very hard to promote the interests of their countries, especially when outside their country.

“The Israeli lobby in the US is considered to be the most effective in ensuring the interests of their country”, said a lawyer during a seminar. Another policy expert said, “the problem with the Pakistani diaspora is that most do not lobby for their country; they are too fragmented by their party rivalries back home.” Some politicians on their visits to America only run down the current system in order to raise funds for themselves. At times, senior officials from the establishment overplay the negatives to make the bureaucracy seem more important. The civil society also has a tendency to overplay negative issues as that attracts attention and funding. The cannibal tribes of the Pacific and the terrorists of Pakistan make equally sensational headlines. As a result, we have created such a market for negative news that anything positive doesn’t sell anymore. We do not have to be in denial about our problems but we need to learn how to share them in a way that builds solidarity with our struggles rather than contempt for our limitations.

Irfan Malik, a Pakistani-American heading a US-Pakistan foundation, released a study on the Pakistani diaspora at the Wilson Centre. He shared that Pakistani-Americans are more engaged in raising funds to support social causes in Pakistan. He added, “politically, they contribute to the US political campaigns and have good links with many key politicians but they have still not been able to influence the political agenda to benefit Pakistan”. We, as a nation, have to understand that our image in the world needs to be improved. India has deep poverty, religious fundamentalism and extensive social problems. Yet, it is consistently seen in a positive light because Indians consistently promote their national interests over local political affiliations.

We can tell many stories of communities creating innovative solutions. We have examples of legislation that no one else in South Asia has. Our political parties jointly made our Election Commission stronger. We have a government that has just completed its five-year term and we are moving towards a smooth transfer of power. A good starting point can be to begin respecting ourselves, our country and positive initiatives that people take. The solidarity displayed by the international community on Malala Yousufzai’s stance is an example of how we can tell the story of the hundreds of people who resist militancy in Pakistan every day. We have to tell our positive stories and avoid running ourselves down. With all the challenges we face at home, we don’t need the entire world against us.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2012.