A grand dialogue

It has been generally noticed in the course of history of mankind that when a people face great upheavals and challenges which encompass social, political and economic spheres of their national life and gravity of those challenges poses an existential threat then few good men come forward and with collective action, efforts and wisdom, salvage people out of crises.

These men, called statesmen equipped with the sincerity of purpose and keeping in view sense of honour and responsibility and having been endowed by the Providence, with ability, craft and genius, usually succeed in chartering a new course for their people and take them out of these mammoth problems.

The Treaty of Westphalia (1680), the Declaration of Independence (1776) and freedom movements in the former European colonies are only a few examples out of a multitude of similar inspiring stories of mankind.

These few good men here too exhibited similar statesmanship in 1972-73 when the whole nation’s heads were down and hearts were bleeding due to shame and sorrow after the fall of Dhaka (Dacca). They framed the constitution and restored civil rule after decades of failures and blunders. This is needed again.

In trying times, it is vain to look around for help from other nations. It has been ordained both by the scriptures and dictates of human reason and recorded in history books that without an earnest desire for a change coming out of the people themselves no outside help can change their destiny.

There is no hope any foreign country would help as Pakistan has earned bad name by repeatedly creating trust deficit especially by changing sides in distress and conflicts. In the game of nations, without a financial standing and robust sustainable economy, large standing armed forces cannot be supported and maintained with foreign military and financial assistance. Armed forces are constitutionally mandated to be the guardians of liberty of people and protect against foreign aggressions and internal threats and this constitutional obligation cannot be performed without money.

It is for men at the helm of nation’s affairs that in the face of an unprecedented and severe adversity, both financial and political, they make bold and hard choices, act by putting aside their self-interests and change the long awaited state policy that was based on wrong notions, assumptions and false narratives.

A politically polarized and weak society having no sustainable economy is bound to invite adventurers. It is therefore imperative that the previous course and policies are seriously and sincerely reviewed and abandoned if necessary to take Pakistan out of these terminal crises that threaten its sovereignty and solidarity.

It is important to realize that an insistence upon repeating same old tactics and policies to manipulate the system and keep passing the buck either to the previous governments or laying down landmines for the next governments and generations can only delay the doomsday but cannot avoid it. It is time to make right choices.

It is here that the political leadership and the establishment hold a grand dialogue in order to review all national policies and decide with a national consensus measures and steps required for the nation’s survival.

All political parties of the country and their leadership that enjoy support of the people must rise to the occasion and come forward and lead and represent the nation in this dialogue and take the country out of this crises. This game of musical chair of power politics being played since last seven and half decade needs to end. Instead of promoting politics of exclusion and hate there must now be politics of service to the people. Nawaz Sharif is a veteran leader who has seen all seasons of politics.

He has suffered because he perhaps wanted to change the system to bring civilian supremacy. It is time for Imran Khan too, who enjoys support of people and youth, to change his approach to politics and his divisive narrative. He belongs to a political class.

The road to power, he must understand, is built on people’s choices expressed through vote. No good can be achieved by promoting hate. Young Bilawal’s claim to politics is as a political heir of the late Z A Bhutto who believed people’s power. All these leaders should realize that history will judge them in its own way.

It is time for them to make right choices and honest decisions in people’s interest. Power is a trust and each one of them will be ultimately accountable for it. It is clear that the informed people of Pakistan may not go along with their personal and emotional choices while passing their batons of power and politics to their progenies.

Power must be founded on surer grounds and it should have roots in people. By keeping people in less than human conditions like the old colonial empires no good can be achieved. Happiness of the people should be ultimate object of power.

A consensus needs to be built on four points. Firstly, how the state resources can be protected and utilized to build a solid economy which ensures independence and sovereignty of Pakistan without ever being dependent on foreign help and aid? A supplement to this: what measures are needed to live for some years within the means? If economy revives then fruits of economic growth and financial opulence instead of being available to a few traditional classes and groups must also pass on to hundreds of millions others who are struggling to get two times respectable meals and fresh drinking water to sustain life.

Secondly, how the federation can be saved, strengthened and made viable that is presently politically and socially in great danger?

The federation cannot be sustained by force. It can be nursed and protected by protecting and promoting common interests of the provinces.

By promoting the benefits of mutual cooperation and blessings of independence, blended with common good of the people of all parts of Pakistan, the federation will prosper.

It can be achieved by directing state resources towards technical and professional education that will create human capital and cause division of labour which will provide the requisite force to move the engine of economy. Prosperity and welfare of people mitigates suffering and ends distrust and disaffection.

The third and most important point is that it now needs to be finally decided and reiterated and acted upon who will run this country? The constitution is clear on this and if not then let Parliament make it clear. The power dynamics in this country however have been otherwise. One main reason for this sorry state of affairs that Pakistan faces today is that hitherto all power has been exercised without shouldering responsibility for decisions. Political leaders who are voted into power by the people have to understand that if they cannot protect their power for public good then they have no right to claim and remain in power. It is a trust and not privilege for self-benefit and enrichment.

The fourth and equally critically important issue is stability. For the last forty-three years Pakistan has been unstable mainly because the region has been unstable. It is time to review its role in the regional and international conflicts. Stability will follow. The time for these critical decisions has come for which a dialogue is necessary for this consensus.

This nation is in the midst of the Bermuda Triangle because the constitution has not been honored. People have been betrayed and they have not been trusted and given a free choice to make informed and free political decisions.They need to be trusted and allowed to make free choices.

After few errors they will succeed and if they succeed in making right choices then Pakistan is bound to succeed because people will hold accountable political leadership and all those who exercise power in this country. The power is then bound be exercised as a trust.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023