Pakistan
holds a very special place in the hearts of most of the older Indians who see
it as a dismembered part of our nation. Families were separated and property
was lost. An imaginary and unfinished line was drawn through the sub-continent
by Cyril Radcliffe resulting in the largest transmigration of people anywhere
in the World and leaving over 2 million dead as a result of politically
motivated rioting.
Pakistan,
literally means “Land of the Pure.” It is another matter that nothing could be
further away from the truth when one looks at its deeds and actions over the
last 7 decades. Pakistan is home to Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Saeed, LeT, JeM,
Harakatul Mujahideen, Haqqani network and dozens of other terrorist groups and
continuous denials by the Pakistani establishment is no longer being accepted
by the World.
What
has gone wrong with this dream of Jinnah? How is his message of Unity, Faith
and Discipline being addressed in modern Pakistan? Where has Pakistan, its
leaders and its population, lost the plot?
Let
us look at some of the challenges that are being faced by Pakistan.
Religion
and the Muslim Brotherhood – Pakistan believes
very strongly in the Muslim Ummah (community). The Muslim brotherhood. Pakistani
journalists express shock and surprise when they are not given blind support
from all other Muslim countries on their issues. While the Ummah will
always remain relevant, it can no longer become a crutch to reach out to these
nations for handouts and doles without a quid pro quo.
The other Muslim
nations from the Ummah are not willing to provide blind support to
Pakistan on their support to so many the terrorist cells housed in Pakistan. Nationalism
in the other Muslim nations is based on wealthy ethnicity, language and culture
rather than simply on religion as has been seen in Pakistan. This was one of
the major reasons why Bangladesh broke away in 1971. How long will religion
keep on feeding the appetite of the masses and for how long can religion
provide jobs, development and education?
Kashmir
– Pakistan does not ever want to let go of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir knowing
very well that India will never give up its claim on Kashmir. Kashmir is almost
a rallying cry for its leadership but this is now becoming irrelevant on the
international stage and very weak within Pakistan. Secessionist movements
are growing in Baluchistan and it is a matter of time before other states start
to express their frustration with the Pakistani establishment.
Anti-India
Sentiment – How long can Pakistan keep feeding its
population with anti-India sentiments and how long will their gullible
population continue to survive on a diet of hatred? When I first visited
Karachi, in 2002, I was surprised to find how much animosity there was against
India. For a population fed on anti-India propaganda, they know no better.
History for Pakistan starts from 1947. The fact that Pakistan was a part of
India is wiped out from the minds and consciousness of the people.
But
reality is hitting home now. Journalists are questioning their politicians on
why their country has been left so far behind. The Indian economy is almost 10
times the size of Pakistan and is growing at 7.5% per annum (4.5% for Pakistan)
on a larger base.
With
the growth of India, the World has de-hyphenated India and Pakistan. From a
position of talking of the two nations together, India is now longer banded
together with Pakistan. This must definitely be hurting the Pakistani
establishment who want to be seen in the same league as India.
Victim
Card – Pakistani politicians and journalists
always play the victim card and go to great lengths to emphasise that they are
the victims of terrorism and not its perpetrators. They have almost managed to
convince the population that the entire World is conspiring against them. These
people must start to understand that the World does not owe Pakistan a living
and they have to stand up and take control of their own destiny.
Nuclear
Power – A nation that has nuclear power knows
the huge responsibility that is associated with this power. Not so with
Pakistan. Not a day goes in Pakistan when its journalists or its military does
not talk about its nuclear capabilities. Several prominent journalists take
pride in announcing repeatedly that they are the only Muslim nation that was chosen
by Almighty God to be given this power.
How
long will a population, suffering from hunger, shortage of power and no jobs
keep filling its stomach with the comfort of their nation being a nuclear power?
How
long will they keep on taking cover under their presumed nuclear
deterrent?
Corruption
– Corruption has been the scourge of most developing nations of the World. In
these countries, people bribe for what is theirs by right! Several countries in
the World compete to be in the top 20 most corrupt nations of the World. It
would give Pakistan some comfort and pride that in this one parameter, it has
consistently managed to remain amongst the most corrupt nations of the World.
The latest is the Panama Papers scandal which has former Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif named as one of the perpetrators.
China
Pakistan Economic Corridor – CPEC, once touted
as the answer to all the problems of Pakistan has come back to bite.
Investments committed by China, Pakistan’s “all weather” friend have been
converted into interest bearing loans which the country cannot afford. The US$
50 billion committed has now become an albatross around the slender and weak
neck of Pakistan and the country does not have the ability to even service the
interest leave alone repay the debt.
Jobs
have been created in Pakistani but primarily for Chinese who have been shopped
out in large numbers to Pakistan. Second hand equipment to manufacture cement
has been sent from China. It is rumored that there are 20 million Chinese who
have been given visas to work and stay in Pakistan. The Chinese currency Yuan
is now widely accepted in Pakistan and some people believe that it is a matter
of time before the Yuan becomes legal tender in Pakistan. It was rumored that
Pakistan has decided to make mandarin an official language. This was quickly
denied but there can be no smoke without fire!
Are
we likely to see a repeat of the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka where the Chinese
companies have signed a 99 year lease and taken over the port? Is it only a
matter of time before we see Chinese Naval ships positioned at this port?
The
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has, on 23rd February 2018,
decided to put Pakistan on their grey list and this will have very significant
consequences on Pakistan, already struggling to manage an economy in serious
trouble. Unless Pakistan takes credible steps acceptable to the international
community within the next three months, FATF may be the proverbial last straw
that broke the camel’s back. With China voting against Pakistan on the FATF, I
can almost hear Pakistani journalists stating “Et Tu China? Then fall
Pakistan!”
Pakistan
has only itself to blame for the situation that it finds itself in. Blaming one
politician for all their faults is only a short term answer to the endemic
problems Pakistan faces. The Pakistani Army which has ruled the country for
almost half of its life as a nation also needs to take responsibility for the
situation their country is faced with. The politicians and the Army have never
trusted one another and are always watching their flanks, wary of the steps the
other may take, both sides claiming to be the saviours of the nation.
The
common man needs to wake and start demanding accountability from their leaders,
both political and from the Army. It will take at least one generation to make
a change in its mindset and that too if the process starts now. Supporting
terrorism is not helping. Will Pakistan even be able to stay together as a
nation of will it be implode?
Only
economic prosperity in Pakistan will be able to meet the needs of the long
suffering common man. Unless there are opportunities to create wealth and have
prosperity for their families, religion and rhetoric will only lead towards
chaos.
There
are no easy answers.
*******************
The author is the founder Chairman of
Guardian Pharmacies and the author of 5 best-selling books, Reboot. Reinvent.
Rewire: Managing Retirement in the 21st Century; The Corner Office; An Eye for
an Eye; The Buck Stops Here - Learnings of a #Startup Entrepreneur and The Buck
Stops Here – My Journey from a Manager to an Entrepreneur.
Twitter: @gargashutosh
Instagram: ashutoshgarg56
Blog: ashutoshgargin.wordpress.com |
ashutoshgarg56.blogspot.com
