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No thinking Pakistani would believe that with the amicable resolution of the deposed judges restoration issue we are out of the woods. Not yet, it only righted a wrong. Thanks to the nearly decade-long one-man rule, the problems that the democratic dispensation has inherited are too many and too menacing. The war on terror on our western border and the global economic meltdown has further complicated our dilemma.
Given the enormity of these challenges no wonder the present government has failed to fully deliver. In this backdrop Nawaz Sharifs call for a national conference to chart Pakistans future direction makes eminent sense. Spelling out his idea in some detail in Aaj News telecast Live with Talat he said invitations should be sent to all the stakeholders including the armed forces because one political party alone cannot face the barrage of challenges that the country faces today.
He proposed evolving a new social order with inputs from all committed to the betterment of the people. Media should act as the watchdog, he said. Those who had thought that once General Pervez Musharrafs dictatorship is over everything would return to normal and Pakistan would resume its destined journey were sadly mistaken. Most of the problems, if not all, Pakistan faces today can be, rightly, blamed on him.
He had an insatiable appetite for personal power and his relentless scheming for self-preservation has distorted the Constitution; he stripped the political system of all ethics and morality; and sent the countrys armed forces on a collision course with its own citizens. But a year on, after he has gone and the democratically elected government has been put in place, the turmoil persists. The problems instead of being resolved have multiplied.
While bureaucratic inertia besets the day to day government functioning and corruption retains its soul-sapping hold, civil liberties are being sacrificed at the altar of so-called national interest. The most spectacular failure, however, is that of the parliament which is not even a worthwhile debating club what to say of its legislative competence. In fact, the challenges that Pakistan faces are too big to be tackled effectively, irrespective of who is in power.
Some are of our own making but more serious are those that stem from our poor diplomacy and weird geopolitics. It is bad that we face them but it is worse in the absence of unity of action and clarity of purpose to stand up to them. For instance, how should Pakistan deal with the phenomenon of being the drone-attack target of its own ally, there is a rainbow of clashing opinions.
How to deal with the likely legal aftermath of restoration of deposed judges, there are widely differing points of view. What role can be carved out for political forces that had boycotted last parliamentary elections - that is another issue. Dealing with the Taliban and other such militant forces is yet another challenge. In the absence of any clear-cut policy and a well laid-out plan to tackle these challenges political instability and economic uncertainty tend to abound.
To think that the government can handle all these menacing challenges on its own would be highly unrealistic. But there is no reason why the nation as a whole cannot rise to the occasion. We believe that under the present circumstances, Nawaz Sharifs call for a national stakeholders conference has merit and it must receive due attention of all having faith in our common destiny as a nation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2009

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