Top-down rule

Pakistan is facing multiple political, economic and security challenges, as well as other major threats. The country is ill-prepared to deal with all these challenges because its elites have paid little heed to addressing the most basic needs of the poor citizens. Consequently, most Pakistanis lack both the skills and the opportunities needed to improve their own lives and those of their children. The rich can still live luxurious lives, but the situation for the poor majority is becoming increasingly intolerable.

The state still uses colonial modes of authoritarian rule, which rely on patronage mechanisms to secure top-down support, rather than enabling bottom-up representation of the people. The elite’s encroachment on the country’s political economy shows no sign of weakening and Pakistan is turning into an irredeemably sinking ship. The powerful elites will no longer be able to continue enjoying their privileged status, unless they seriously begin investing in the ordinary people who make up the bulk of the Pakistani nation.

Engr Viqar ul Haq

Islamabad