Subjugation or self-reliance

In the classical colonial era, armed resistance for liberation earned the national freedom fighters praise and kudos from the great thinkers of their times, many of whom inspired such revolutions through their writings. The great literature of resistance is part of common human heritage. It has long been a source of resilience and self-esteem for the nations, who defeated imperialists and earned self-rule after a long protracted struggle. Unfortunately, in the post 9/11 era, the present-day imperialist forces cleverly managed to counter genuine liberation and resistance movements against their occupation and hegemonic designs under the pretext of "war against terror". This was, no doubt, a beginning of the darkest period, a strategy of United States and its allies to use religious fanatics as a tool to repress those who resist subjugation.
Armed struggles against occupant forces in Afghanistan, Kashmir and elsewhere, though in substance movements against subjugation but are slyly labelled as "militancy" or "terrorism" by the US and its allies. In these circumstances, one needs to reconceptualise "struggle against subjugation" and rethink methods for liberation through peaceful means rather than armed conflicts. The neo-colonialists want to engage nations in brutal and bloody wars for their nefarious designs. They have tried it in the Middle East and now want to target other regions, especially after China's initiative of One Belt One Road.
In the Pakistani context, we are faced with multi-faceted subjugation-largely, a self-inflicted phenomenon. Since 1977, our leadership-military and civilian alike-has surrendered completely before foreign masters. Though moral degradation of our leadership is becoming more profound with each passing day, the people of Pakistan have not given up or surrendered. They are showing resilience even during times of extreme hardship. Even the dark era of economic subjugation, due to wrong policies of the people at the helm of affairs, the elites-military-judicial-civil complex and public officeholders are enjoying unprecedented luxuries. Perpetuation of their misrule has culminated into where a nuclear-State has become totally toothless. It is in this background and on assurance of Saudi support, after meetings with Nawaz and Shahbaz, that Trump used a shameless tone against us in the beginning of 2018 in a tweet and later showed his contempt by cutting off military aid.
Political and economic subjugation was at its zenith during the Musharraf era and even thereafter. During the rule of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), from 2008 to 2013, led by Asif Ali Zardari, appeals were made to the White House not to violate our territorial boundaries-it was a slap on the nation's face. It was not diplomacy but utter submission before those who were the main cause of crisis in our tribal areas and Swat at that time. Nawaz Sharif continued the same policy and even bowed before forces of obscurantism, used by these imperialist forces for the containment of China by destabilizing Pakistan.
Our successive governments did nothing to come out of this economic subjugation. On the contrary, they kept pushing the country into over-indebtedness. No attention was paid to make the tribal areas part of settled areas and ease their economic woes. We are still faced with the threat of militancy and cross-border terrorism, yet there is discord amongst political parties about how to uproot terrorism. Many religious parties openly support terrorist networks and have yet not been banned. We now have horrifying debt burden, worsening balance of payment position, rising inflationary expectations, undesirable increase in wasteful expenditure that includes heavy cost of perks and perquisites of elites, growing unemployment, social unrest, widening trade and fiscal deficits, rising cost of doing business, burden of new taxes, increases in utility bills, economic stagnation and failure of revenue authorities to tap actual revenue potential of around Rs 8 trillion-just to mention a few.
In the wake of currency devaluation, people's purchasing power is diminishing, banks have less liquidity, lending rates are going high and activities at stock markets are sluggish. Investors are shy and afraid, mainly due to political instability and economic uncertainty. Life for the common man on the streets is becoming difficult leading to social restlessness. Although we claim to be an agricultural economy, a vast majority of people does not have enough to eat. It is tragic that we even import agricultural products and have miserably failed to develop any worthwhile agro-based industry in the last 70 years. What a decline from the times when this region (ie United Punjab before partition) had the undisputed position of being the granary of the entire Subcontinent.
Look at the mess our successive governments, military and civilian alike, created on the debt front. The figure of foreign debt will be touching monstrous $80 billion after devaluation of our rupee in the last few months. Domestic debt is now close to Rs 20 trillion. Both external and internal debts are increasing at a frightening pace. The way we are managing our resources (not exploiting them or wasting mercilessly those already available) is criminal and is leading us to self-annihilation. Officially fiscal deficit of around Rs 1.8 trillion is expected during the current fiscal year. According to independent observers, it will above Rs 2 trillion. This testifies to failure of political masters who rely on an incompetent and corrupt bureaucracy for economic management. The policy of appeasement towards tax evaders, money launderers and plunderers of national wealth is showing its impact in all spheres: political culture of changing loyalties is loathsome, nation is in high despair and all sectors of economy are showing negative indicators. Even the modest target of 5.5% GDP growth is difficult to be achieved. In this bleak scenario, our political leaders have no definitive plans and are still engaged in mudslinging rather than evolving a national agenda to overcome the prevailing economic mess.
The most worrisome sector of economy is agriculture. The rural population is constantly being pushed below the poverty line making all the targets of growth unachievable. If we have to develop economically, agriculture will have to play a critical role in the fight against poverty. Vital areas like mechanization, irrigation, plant protection and improved seeds have not been given proper attention although on papers there are many departments (including agricultural universities) spending millions and millions on claiming to have achieved wonders. In reality even the issue of loans to small farmers is nothing but just another scandalous affair where only a handful are making huge money in the name of poor farmers.
The industries are already over-taxed but instead of getting any relief, these are being asked to pay exorbitant taxes and also act as withholding agents for the State. All the fiscal laws now impose a number of obligations on them to file periodic reconciliation statements of taxes withheld and deposited in the Government Treasury. This work is to be done without any reimbursement of cost for the withholding agents. On top of it, a draconian sword hangs for any default not committed willfully. There is no political will to tax the mighty sections of society and the entire tax burden is being shifted on the poor through indirect taxes either in the form of sales tax, federal excise duty or presumptive taxes under the so-called direct taxes.
The most disturbing and painful reality is unabated and shameless indulgence of rulers and bureaucrats in wasteful expenditures. Look at their life-style when the vast majority of people is starving. The grim truth of Pakistan is the loathsome habit on the part of the rulers and their lackeys to indulge in self-deception, self-praise and self-perpetuation during times of crises without realizing how disastrous these acts can be. All the governments, including the present one, pretend that serious economic problems can easily be disguised by statistical sleight of hand. This might be understandable from a political point of view aimed at cheating the voters, but this denial of truth is certainly a disastrous and suicidal act. We cannot come out of subjugation unless we first become an economically self-reliant nation. For this, the rulers will have to take the first step by starting to live at a modest level and then mobilize the masses for the common struggle to take the great leap forward.
(The writers, lawyers and partners in Huzaima, Ikram & Ijaz, are member Adjunct Faculty of Lahore University of Management Sciences)