State of delusion

A few weeks ago, I was asked to participate in a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) arranged academic seminar on Pakistan’s foreign policy. While the seminar was arranged with the best of intentions, it ended up resembling a party jalsa, even though a majority of speakers were academic PhDs. In the discussion, I pointed out that, firstly, Pakistan needs to stop thinking that it is the centre of the world. Pakistan is an important country indeed, but it should not punch above its weight. Knowing its rightful place in the world order is the basis of a rational foreign policy. For example, we always try to act equal to India in the world arena whereas the stark reality is that India is a country four times larger than ours. Its sheer magnitude makes it a regional leader. Therefore, rather than attempting to be accepted in the world as an equal to India we should try to work with India so that even its regional power projection works for our advantage. Working with a perceived foe is much harder, but is usually the best solution (European history is rife with such examples). Our yearning for equality with India has cost us dearly in terms of exorbitant military expenditure leading to skewed economic growth, and we simply cannot afford it any longer.

The second point I made was that Pakistan needs to solve its ‘identity dilemma’. Tomes have been written on this topic and recently I held a conference at the FC College which had identity as the topic of a major panel, so I won’t go into its contours. Suffice to say that unless Pakistan is sure what kind of a country it is — Arab, Central Asian or South Asian, it will not be able to have a consistent and firm foreign policy (or even a sound internal policy). How a country behaves in its region is very critical to its well-being and therefore, Pakistan must be cognisant of its implications. At the moment, we have quarrels will all but one of our neighbours and this simply does not bode well for us. Being confident in oneself is one of the basic criteria of a successful projection of power.

I also said several other things, but the above two points were picked up by Dr Shireen Mazari, the information secretary of the PTI. She argued that, “We as Pakistanis must think that we are the centre of the world” and that “there is no ‘identity crisis’ in Pakistan”. I was simply flabbergasted by these statements. While the first statement could be termed patriotic, harbouring deluded views is never in the best interest of a country. Patriotism means loving one’s country and love can never be based on false notions or else it falls flat. Self-realisation is the first step towards progress and unless Pakistan takes this important step, it will never really develop.

Dr Mazari’s second assertion simply left me at a loss for words. She stated that she was a Pakistani and she knew it, and that there was no confusion in it. Brushing aside such an important issue by someone who has a PhD in international relations is simply criminal. Dr Mazari knows well the contested nature of Pakistan’s identity and how it adversely affects the nation. Simply put, if there were no issues, there would have never been a Pakhtunistan movement, the Baloch would have never raised the banner of revolt five times, the ‘Muhajirs’ would have been only called Pakistanis, and there would be no local support for the Taliban. Such thoughts from someone so highly educated makes me sympathise more with the common man who did not have the privilege to study such issues in universities like Columbia.

There are times where I think there is too much debate in Pakistan on issues which are a bit too obvious and clear. However, events like these make me realise how a certain sense of delusion is advocated and promoted by certain circles. If the so-called forward-looking and modern PTI entertains such deluded thoughts, then what can we expect from the far right? Our ‘national’ debate on such issues needs to delve deeper into our society so that every citizen becomes an informed participant of such a debate — only then is real change possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2014.

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