What type of Pakistan do we need?

Introduction:

Contemporary Pakistan
o A country of crisis
o Poor governance: 12th most failed state
o Social economic and political challenges
o A country moving towards dystopia trajectory

Main Body:
Causes of this deteriorated present and pessimistic future:

Lack of commitment to build Jinnahs Pakistan

Feeble democracy
Military interventions and strong bureaucracy
Lack of vision of the leaders
Reliance on foreign powers
Fighting of proxy wars
Flawed strategic vision of the country
Lack of independent institutions
Unresolved question of Islams role in the state
Ethnic, sectarian and linguistic divisions
Crumbling economy
o Indecision on the suitable economic system
o Lack of self reliance: extravagant spending
o Poor tax collection
o Reliance on foreign loans, aids and grants
o Failure to comprehend that agriculture is our core competence
Did Pakistan was supposed to be such country?
What type of Pakistan do we need?
A modern democratic federation
o Devolve powers to the provinces
o Ensure uninterrupted democracy
o Political leadership should try to emulate Jinnah
o Civil society need to support the leaders of integrity
A Pakistan in which the state institution remain within
their legitimate purview
o Imitate the Turkish model
o Any transgressors must get a poetic justice
o Ensure supremacy of the rule of the law
A secular Pakistan
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o Excerpt from the speech of Jinnah on August 11, 1947

o Transform the diversity to make a rainbow
o Celebrate the common and respect the differences
o Facilitate the contextual interpretation of the religious texts
o Build society on a pluralistic philosophy
A corruption free Pakistan
o Ensure vibrant and honest bureaucracy
o Excerpt from the speech of Jinnah
o Strong Across the board accountability mechanism
A financially independent and stable Pakistan
o Apply austerity measures in letter and spirit
o Reform the tax system
o Exploit the natural resources
o Restructure in the state owned enterprises
A Pakistan having cordial relationships with the
international community
o Formulate a well defined strategic vision
o Form symbiotic relationship with India
o Benefits of this relationship
A Pakistan, which invests in human capital
o Increase education spending
o Transform economy from resource based to knowledge based

Conclusion:

Pakistan is not a failed state, but a state of failed governance

Reclaim Jinnahs Pakistan
Have faith in resilience capabilities
The golden-age of this country is not behind but before us

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What type of Pakistan do we need?

After much toil and sacrifices, on 14th August, 1947, Pakistan emerged
as

an

independent

state

and

nation

hopes

were

about

freedom,

independence and the foundation of state which satiate peoples wishes.

Over the years, the aforementioned hopes rung hollow as Pakistan stumbled
from one crisis to another. Country is smitten with rampant corruption,
protracted power crisis, social radicalization, economic deterioration et al. A
number

of

political

and

socioeconomic

challenges

haunt

to

further

destabilize the country that is already reeling from scores of crisis. There are
numerous obstacles in the way of state-building process. In a decade during
which most of Asia has leapt ahead, Pakistan has lagged behind. A century
being dubbed as Asia Century, finds no place for Pakistan. The Failed State
Index reckons Pakistan as the 12th most failed state. No matter, what the
demagogues harangue about this country, the harsh reality is that Pakistan
is not even close to what Jinnah aspired to build. Pakistan is certainly a state
of failed governance where good hardly ever happens, and evil does not
cease to happen. As if being paralyzed by some unknown disease, almost
involuntarily, like victims of some sort of hypnosis, like lemmings heading for
the sea, Pakistan is moving rapidly on dystopia trajectory.
There are myriad causes for this deteriorated present and pessimistic
future. The genesis of this gloom is in the events right after the
independence. Pakistan made a folly, when it considered itself free on 14
August, 1947; rather it was just the beginning of the second and equally
difficult struggle, a bid to transform Pakistan into a modern democratic and
secular state. The spirit of unity, cohesion and commitment glaringly
conspicuous during Pakistan movement evaporated in the thin air after the
emergence of Pakistan, and self-serving politicians squabbling excited the
other players to assume an audacious role. Resultantly, the militaryPage 3 of 12

bureaucratic nexus crawled out of the woodwork and took the de-facto
control of the country. Since then, the military and civilian governments have
alternated several times but both miserably failed to deliver. Devoid of any
commitment to serve the country, the military-cum-political elite ruined the
state structure of Pakistan.
The political leaders lack a clear vision. Moreover, in Pakistan the
politics is more personality-driven rather than issues-driven, which has an
overall negative impact on the evolution of independent institutions and has
fanned the vested interests. Political parties are like family assets. In true
democracy, political leaders derive their power from the people thus they are
intrepid and assume more audacious visions, consequently the respective
country forms an independent foreign policy that best suits its interests but
feeble democracy or autocratic dictatorship is devoid of these qualities.
Thus, Pakistan has so-far failed to furnish its independent foreign policy, with
faint support in their own country; leaders were swayed by the international
powers, thus they undermined the national interests and sovereignty of the
country. By fighting proxy wars of the super power and fiddling with its
neighbour, Pakistan has sabotaged its own sovereignty. Pakistan is situated
where the areas of South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia (Middle East)
converge, an enviable strategic position, but Pakistan squandered this huge
geostrategic advantage by holding a flawed strategic vision that is
underpinned by even more flawed ideology-that sees strategic depth to the
west and an enemy to the east.
The unresolved question of Islams role in the state has dearly battered
the nation. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, made it clear that he thought Pakistan
should be a country for Muslims, not an Islamic country. O religion what
crimes have been committed in thy name! But since then every government
that has failed to deliver has used Islam as a crutch and radicalized the
society. The relationship between religion and the state is not an abstruse
question of political philosophy. But unfortunately starting from the 1949
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Objectives Resolution, religion has been strongly and wrongly injected into
the body politic.
Pakistan which came into being not as a nation state but comprising of
different nationalities, the very name of the new country was an acronym of
the various regions. The ethnic, sectarian and linguistic constituents of
society are at loggerheads with each other, like hostile tribes barricaded
within their little fiefdoms. They can neither create a rainbow of colours, nor
a mosaic of harmony out of this diversity. Rather than diffusing tensions, the
military-political elite exploited the sentiments of various gullible groups.
This widened the gulf among these various ethnic, linguistic and religious
denominations, resultantly; ethnic conflicts and sectarianism started to fray
the fabric of the country. When the world moved towards the cosmopolitan
view of the world, we divided ourselves between the various fiefdoms and
political energy in Pakistan was extravagantly wasted on quibbling between
these groups. Consequently, Pakistan transformed into a country where
dissent is abhorred and disagreement is penalized whether the sphere is
political, religious or social.
On the economic front, Pakistan had whimsical capricious policies. We
had been dithering on adopting a suitable economic system since our
independence. By meandering through capitalism and socialism, now we are
stumbling at the verge of bankruptcy. Self-reliance was not an option for us;
rather we relied on foreign assistance and loans to sustain our spendthrift
propensities and mind-boggling military spending. The countries, which
doled out money to Pakistan in the form of grants and aids, dictated our
foreign policy. The multilateral donors stipulated our economic policy. The
macro-economic indicators depict that in the short-run, the economy cannot
sustain itself, foreign loans and assistance is vital for shoring up the creaking
economy. The successive governments in Pakistan failed to comprehend that
agricultural resources are the prime asset of this country. For a country like
Page 5 of 12

Pakistan, trying to establish the industrial base without building the

agricultural sector is a folly. Resultantly, Pakistans economy is of hybrid
nature with none of its sectors thriving well. Pakistan possesses plethora of
natural resources, aplenty to assuage its financial woes but regrettably,
grossly poor in managing them. The current state of affairs paints a gloomy
picture of Pakistan to an extent that even fantasizing about a modern
democratic Pakistan seems far-fetched.
This heart-sinking situation begs the question, did Pakistan was
supposed to be such country? Unquestionably, the answer is the no! Then
what type of Pakistan do we need? For much part of the answer, we need to
go back to the time circa independence. Jinnah categorically enunciated
Pakistan to be a secular and democratic federation. The aforementioned
words remained in oblivion for the past 64 years but no longer, we can afford
to keep them in limbo.
We need a Pakistan having strong federating units rather than a fascist
dispensation. Strengthening of federating units can be assured by devolving
powers to the provinces. In this regard, 18th Amendment is the stride in the
right direction but there is a long way to go. Pakistan needs uninterrupted
democracy and a political leadership of integrity that has deep roots in the
public. Jinnahs personality and political career is a role model for the political
leadership. His entire political career is a paragon of integrity and fair-play,
though these attributes are quite scant in the contemporary Pakistani
political elite. But they must try to emulate the precedents set by the
founder of the nation. The civil society need to support the leaders of
integrity. The youth needs to come to the fore; their participation is sine qua
non for reforming the political system. The worst form of democratic
government is still better than any other form of the government. We need
to allow the democratic system move forward and in the due course, we
need to fine tune the system so that down the road, it realizes Jinnahs
Pakistan.
Page 6 of 12

We need a Pakistan in which the state institution remain within their

legitimate purview and do not transgress their de jure limits. Pakistan was
not destined to be a national-security obsessed and a paranoid militaryintelligence complex. The tilt of power towards the military equally shoulders
the blame for much of the nations woes. Pakistan has to imitate the Turkish
model, where a potent military had to surrender before the democratically
elected government. The superpower of the world should stay away from
anointing the dictators.

The independence of institutions is vital for

reforming the country and any transgressions on part of institutions or

individuals must get a poetic justice.
We need a secular Pakistan, as Jinnah aspired to build it. Pakistan has
seen much bloodbath, in the name of sectarianism and ethnic rivalry that
has vaporized the peace, hospitality and tolerance, once thought to be our
trademark. We must realize that there is no end of this vicious cycle of
violence. Jinnahs pertinent words should to be the state policy: You are
free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your
mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan.
You may belong to any religion or caste or creed, that has got
nothing to do with the business of the state. in course of time
Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be
Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal
faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the
state. The religious zealots who are silencing voices of tolerance do not
believe in Jinnahs Pakistan. They want a pan-Islamic theocracy; they follow
the opposite course of what Jinnah stipulated.
We need a Pakistan where the different religious, ethnic and linguistic
denominations live in harmony and venerate the diversity that exists and
transform it to make a rainbow, where each color appeases the aesthetic
sense. If we look from objective perspective, our differences are minuscule.
In an era, where cultures and economies are rapidly integrating and where
Page 7 of 12

interdependence rather than independence is cherished, it would be suicidal

to continue squabbling on these petty differences. Our religion teaches us
tolerance, and even demands to treat non-Muslims with respect and honor.
How can this religion be so violent? There is gross misinterpretation of the
religious texts. The government must facilitate the contextual interpretation
of the religious texts so that the divine injunctions at the heart of the Quranic
verses could be understood. Pakistan has a multi-ethnic society composed of
people professing different creeds and speaking different languages. The
edifice of such a society must rest on the pillars of a pluralistic philosophy,
which accepts diversity of beliefs, practices and codes without trying to
reduce the diversity to a unity. In such a society if the social order is to work
smoothly, full religious freedom needs to be granted to all communities, the
state must not discriminate on the basis of caste or creed, cultural diversity
has to be reconciled with national unity and above all religion should not be
used for political purpose, because this invariably promotes one community
at the expense of others. The rule of law and expedite justice is vital for
discouraging the rampant and ubiquitous intolerance.
We need a Pakistan, where administrative corruption finds no space.
Administrative corruption had been so rampant in Pakistan that it subverted
the implementation of the policies. The policies were of paltry value because
our system was infested with administrative corruption. We need to have a
vibrant civil service for implementation of the policies and regulation. If a
dog dies near the river Euphrates, Omar will be responsible on the
Day of Judgment. The words of Hazrat Omar clearly define the criterion
for a responsible management. The founder of the country emphatically
suggested the civil service: You do not belong to the ruling class; you
belong to the servants. Make the people feel that you are their
servants and friends, maintain the highest standard of honor,
integrity, justice and fair-play. If you do that, people will have
confidence and trust in you and will look upon you as friends and
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well wishers. By acting upon these words, our much bandied about
establishment can move this country further towards peoples Pakistan.
We need a financially independent and stable Pakistan as it is requisite
for our sovereignty and viability. Hitherto, financial mismanagement had
been our hallmark. The much touted about austerity measures never existed
in our financial history. In an era, where economic power leads to political
and military clout, our financial bungling has not only deteriorated our
financial strength but also truncated our national stature in the international
community. Revamping the financial sphere seems the dictation of time. The
fiscal deficit is mind-boggling; we need to cut our non-development spending
and military spending must not a sacrosanct. In order to bring more revenue,
we need to reform our tax system. Tax evading must be dealt iron-handily
and agricultural incomes, property gains, and stock market profits must be
brought into the tax-net. On the spending front, a thrift spending mechanism
is the need of the hour. Promotion and development of indigenous energy
resources can also reduce our import bill as well the whopping energy
crunch. Over the years, successive regimes have overstretched the mandate
of the Pakistani state. This has resulted in its inability to perform, efficiently
and effectively. Countries like Myanmar, Philippines, Poland and even many
among African nations has gone under massive privatization spree, this has
shifted their gear of economic acceleration. But in Pakistan the resourceguzzler public entities are still in vogue and act like a parasite on already
impoverished economy. Pakistan needs to confine the role of government to
a

regulator

and

needs

to

privatize

or

introduce

the

public-private

partnerships (PPPs) to run the state entities. A financially sound Pakistan will
be more close to realizing a robust, thriving and independent Pakistan.
We need a Pakistan having cordial relationships with the international
community, especially with its immediate neighbors and taps its geostrategic position to the utmost. Pakistan cannot run away from where
destiny has placed it, for it is in the nature of its geographical location that it
Page 9 of 12

requires international alliances so that it can act like a strategic business and
trade hub. Jinnah in spite of the horrors unleashed by Partition, insisted on a
US-Canada type relationship between India and Pakistan, with open and
permeable borders. American scholar William Metz noted in his 1952
doctoral thesis that for Jinnah, a Hindu-Muslim settlement was itself a form of
Hindu-Muslim unity. The gravity model for trade is an econometric estimation
technique to simulate trade volume flows between two countries (or two
regions). In similar fashion to a war game exercise, it churns out predictions
based on input parameters such as the distance between and the relative
sizes of the two economies. For 10 years we have chased the US market but
have missed seeing the huge market next door that even the US and the rest
of the world vie for. The Gravity Model has indicated a twenty-fold increase
from the present $2bn to $40bn in two-way trade. This implies a doubling of
exports in one stroke. It also implies a cheaper total import bill and moreover
an opportunity to become a trade hub between South and Central Asia.
Threats of nuclear annihilation one day and bear hugging cricket diplomacy
the next just makes it look as if the leaders suffer from bipolar disorder. India
offered Pakistan the most-favored nation status, a position any other country
would bend over backwards to obtain. Pakistan needs to reciprocate. We
must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools
Martin Luther King, Jr. The strategic position and now the war against
terror has brought Pakistan in the limelight of the international community,
so now international community should help Pakistan in establishing a
workable governance system. While Pakistan has a reputation as a source of
instability in South Asia, it also holds the key to peace in the future.
Declaring Pakistan a failed or failing state resolves little. By helping Pakistan
remedy its dysfunctions, its friends and allies can help ensure better
prospects for all of us.
We need a Pakistan, which invests on its human capital. Countries even
like Saudi Arabia are transforming their economy from resource based to
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knowledge based but our spending of 2.1 percent of GDP is among the
lowest in the world. 60 percent of Pakistans population lives below the age
of 25, ignoring them will be folly. The aging Europe and North America has
provided us an added opportunity, to invest in the human resource.
The onus of accumulating the required will lies with the political
leadership of the country. They must lead by examples, so that general
masses have a precedent to emulate. The political leadership has to stand
above the parochialism, so that meticulous legislation spews from the
parliament. The independence of the institutions sounds like a clich, and
much water has passed under the bridge since paying only lip-service, now it
is imperative to contemplate to make institutions independent.

The

supremacy of the rule of the law has to be ensured. The nexus of the rogue
political and bureaucratic element needs to be dismantled. Both cadres need
to stick to their rules of conduct and stringent implementation of the code of
conduct is the need of the hour. A well-knitted and independent anticorruption authority is required to check any transgressions. In fact, there is
no better investment that Pakistan can make in the interest of its future and
its people.
Pakistan is surely not a failed state, but it certainly is a state of failed
governance. Leaders need to portray themselves as change agents. Jinnahs
Pakistan is not dead: If we have drifted too far, which we have, then all the
more reason to reclaim the ideal. We must have faith in our resilience
capabilities; its not the end yet, unquestionably the golden-age of this
country is not behind but before us.

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