Political constants

Our political experience is defined by invariable constants. First, no fair elections have ever been held since the birth of the state. Second, no prime minister was able to complete his/her term of office. Third, civil-military and church-state relations remained unsettled in spite of the Quaid’s clear instructions. Fourth, corruption has been on the rise without interruption. Fifth, extremism has remained embedded without any letup. Sixth, the gap between the rich and the poor has been growing unabated. Seventh, our foreign policy has not moved an inch from the model set by the visit of Liaquat Ali Khan to Washington in 1949. Eighth, the basic structure of the state has remained blurred by the law of necessity that swallowed and devoured every constitution. Ninth, moral decline has been a constant factor in our journey to where we are today. And tenth, politicians, bureaucracy and intellectuals have learnt nothing from past mistakes.
Who is responsible for this dismal decay of the socio-political fibre of the federation then? All of us – without exception. So where do we go from here? From this point we will have to rise because there is no level below our present status.
B A Malik
Islamabad