A future perfect and continuous

“Forty to 50 billion dollars! That’s the expected volume of Chinese investment in Pakistan.” The man was ecstatic. His pupils were dilated and he was so excited that for a second I felt he might have a stroke or a heart attack. The conversation was taking place only days after Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri had arrived in Islamabad and started their four-month-long sit-in. Our friend, a mid-ranking officer in the relevant ministry, was briefing me on the probable impact of the Chinese president’s visit if the security and protocol team, which was still expected to assess the situation, was to give a go-ahead. We all know what happened when the Chinese fact-finding mission arrived. Owing to dharna politics, the team could barely make it to the airport. The visit was delayed but not cancelled. At once, a reminder of our destiny and our myopic anger that keeps shaping it.

So when our friend here told me what to expect from the visit, my heart failed to skip a beat. Of course, our Chinese friends did what a true friend is supposed to do. By promising such huge commitment and stating that the economic corridor would pass through all provinces of the country, they gave us a collective dream of prosperity and a reason to unite against all odds. But this amount is merely an investment in capacity-building. What follows is an undertaking of a transcendental nature. If Pakistan manages to exploit its full potential as a trading hub then the volume of trade and investment would go off the charts. We have a beautiful and unbroken 814 kilometers of coastal area where we need to build many other ports in addition to Gwadar. So I told my friend to relax and that no matter what happened, the investment would come. And it did. Perhaps our Chinese friends still do not understand how thankful we Pakistanis are for their president’s visit.

Call me a fatalist but as student of history I have no doubt in my mind that despite all inherent contradictions, we are destined to be a great nation. And this destiny does not merely depend on one economic corridor or one deep sea port. Because of its unique historical experience and geography, Pakistan has once again assumed the role of a pivotal state. It is one more reason for China, the US and other great powers to work with us. If we manage to accomplish even an iota of the trading synergies and connectivities we are working on, we are made. And coming to China and the US, forget for a second what is happening in South China Sea. The propaganda of a clash between the two states reminds me of our own feeble attempts to keep the US and India apart. Our attempts failed because despite a sea of difference between New Delhi’s and Washington’s Cold War postures, there was great potential for them to work together. That is precisely why India’s feeble attempts to keep China and the US apart are also bound to fail. In this culture of bonhomie, Pakistan is expected to thrive.

Granted, we have a great destiny. But what can we do to make sure we are not cheated out of it. Four words: capacity, stability, institutions and transparency. The ongoing democratic process is building institutions, ownership and an appetite for transparency. The presence of strong institutions harmonises society. Renewed emphasis on education will enhance our individual capacity. Infrastructure development and restructuring will increase the capacity of the economy to absorb wealth. And a mixed application of operations against terrorists and a healing process through better governance, delivery, justice and dialogue will take care of stability. So we are already moving in the right direction. But there are challenges too. Remember I mentioned our myopic anger at the outset. I am still not very sure where it is emanating from. Perhaps, it is because of the collapse of trust as a social capital. Or perhaps, it is because of our haste to see all improvement in our own lifetime. But for the love of this country and a better future, we will have to overcome this anger. What is at stake is bigger than you and I and our expectations. Stay the course and tomorrow will take care of itself.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th,  2015.

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