The assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has created conditions which may contribute to the ongoing destabilisation and fragmentation of Pakistan as a nation. Name any perceivable problem that's possible in a society or a country or with the people and you would find it in Pakistani society.
The present situation in Pakistan especially after the 3 November 2007 action taken by the President by imposing emergency has widened the gap between the government and the civil society at large. According to the NIC-CIA, Pakistan is slated to become a "failed state" by 2015, as it would be affected by civil war, complete Talibanization and struggle for its nuclear weapons.
It is further anticipated that Pakistan will not recover easily from decades of political and economic mismanagement, divisive policies, lawlessness, corruption and ethnic friction. The US course consists in fomenting social, ethnic and factional divisions and political fragmentation, including the territorial break up of Pakistan. This course of action is also dictated by the US war plans in relation to both Afghanistan and Iran.
This US agenda is similar to that applied throughout the broader Middle East and Central Asian region. US strategy, supported by covert intelligence operations, consists in triggering ethnic and religious strife, abetting and financing secessionist movements, while also weakening the institutions of the central government.
The broader objective is to fracture the Nation State and redraw the borders of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Such apprehensions about Pakistan's future should be taken seriously not only by the main stream parties but all the political parties and efforts be made to diffuse the situation as soon as possible before it is too late.
The fact remains that Pakistan is at crossroads; there are choices to be made now whether Pakistan survives as a dictatorship, a democracy or whether Pakistan survives at all. There is a saying that a country gets the rulers it deserves. That may be true where regular free and fair elections are held, but Pakistan's election history is not that good.
Let us analyse why the country continues plunging downward. There is no doubt that the present situation is mainly due to the neglect of education. The country is full of ignorant people who elect inapt and corrupt people in the elections. The problem lies in the education system. We have never given much importance to education. We spend 2% of our total budget on education, while in some countries it was around 30-40 percent (Japan).
Our present education system produces clerks or people pass exams to get a degree; there is no research culture, which could help technology and the economy. There are many parallel education systems, each one for different class, according to how much money they can afford. There is the Beacon House and City School system, government schools, private schools and government and private universities.
Most of them have been declared illegal by the higher education commission but not before the damage had been done. The first system produces rulers and bureaucrats, the second system produces workers and the last one produces the mullahs.
Through the madrassas, a system is working for Islamic laws, but they have become extremists by the courses taught there. They only concentrate on religious studies. Who can negate the importance of so-called worldly knowledge in today's world? Then what is the reason for not including these things in the madrassas' curriculum?
Islam teaches us that all people are equal; then where does it fit that there be various classes in a society based on the amount of wealth they possess. There is an elite class, middle class, poor class. People living below the poverty line who can hardly afford a meal two times a day. The gap between the elite class and the poor class is very big.
THE ELITE SHOULD THINK SHARING THEIR WEALTH WITH THE POOR?There is no stability in Pakistan's economy. There is no security in the country, hence no new industries and very little foreign investment. As a country we are like a beggar, depending on foreign loans and grants by the IMF and rich countries. We have foreign debts of over $38 billion.
When and who is going to pay these debts and the yearly interest, which keeps increasing every year. And then we realise that most of these debts were in fact looted by politicians, rulers, bureaucracy or defence personnel and are now in their personal accounts, in Swiss or other banks.
Despite the government's hype about economic progress, the inflation rate is 9%, as a result of which the poor suffer badly since it translates directly into a rise in prices every now and then.
The fuel prices are linked with the international market. The prices have reached so high that a majority of the people are starving. We have to import most of the things from abroad, even edibles like wheat and vegetable. The areas of the major financial activities have been investment in real estate and loans by banks for car financing and other commodities or luxuries. This clearly depicts a stagnant economy, with no industry and no opportunities for employment.
Because of the present state of economy, unemployment is very high, hence youth and other people who have degrees, but don't get any jobs get frustrated and tend to indulge in crimes. What happened on 27th December 07 after the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was just a glimpse of the frustrated people, who destroyed properties worth 100 billion rupees and it should serve as an eye-opener for our rulers.
The gap between rich and poor is widening. The rulers are not concerned as about 85% of population is earning hardly 2 dollars a day. The expenditure of President, Prime Minister and other rulers runs into crores of rupees which this poor nation can hardly afford. Look at the expenditure of our MNAs who contribute nothing.
The bureaucracy in Pakistan is popularly known as Naukarshahi as they are more of Shahs (monarchs) than they are the servants of the people from whose money they get paid. They are trained in a similar way, as used to be in British times, just to rule the people and act as if they are not part of them, but above them.
Many bureaucrats are inept or corrupt, but they stick to profitable and important positions for years using their relations, links and flattery. In collaboration with the Army, they are the de-facto controllers of the country, to keep the status quo; to keep the poor people poor and make rich people richer.
Most of our population, especially in rural areas and villages is still ruled and oppressed by landlords, jagirdars, waderas, Chaudhrys and Nawabs; who keep them ignorant, illiterate and poor.
The feudal system is intact and landlords and jagirdars with land inherited from their forefathers who manipulate the local police, judiciary and other government officials. The common man expects no respect and is humiliated everywhere. Because of huge involvement and importance of money in politics, it's not possible for the common man to take part in politics.
That's why you see the same corrupt people and same families again and again playing with Pakistan's fate. The ordinary people are equally responsible because, most of the time they stay aloof or take no action against the injustice done to them.
This encourages the oppressors to do more injustice. So the questions to ask ourselves are; are we always going to be maltreated and afflicted by dictatorship that dresses up as democracy, or democracy that wears the veiled mask of dictatorship? Pakistan as the only atomic power in the Muslim world has assumed great importance and has national and global responsibility to carry out this difficult task.
This cannot happen when we are led by other nations who wish to further their own political agendas. We have to exercise great caution while entertaining other nations. The current state of affairs in Pakistan is an evolution of years of democratic neglect.
To ensure the survival of Pakistan and restore its position on the world stage we have to ensure that principle of social justice are implemented and the country is not left at the mercy of corrupt politicians and leaders thrust on the people through selective mechanism who are not the true representatives of the people.
The onus lies on PPPP, PML (N) MQM and ANP to shape the destiny of Pakistan. They have uphill task to restore the judiciary to 2nd November 2007 position and gain the confidence of smaller provinces.
The best thing would be to give them provincial autonomy as envisaged in the 1973 constitution. No more committees and no more commissions. Time has come to establish true democracy that suits the people and not one imposed by dictatorial means.
Hubert H. Humphrey 1911-1978 American Democratic Politician and Vice-President once said "It is not enough to merely defend democracy. To defend it may be to lose it: to extend it is to strengthen it. Democracy is not a property; it is an idea." Pakistan can do well to remember this.
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