At the crossroads

Ever since its independence in 1947, and especially after the untimely death of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan has been experiencing a series of opportunities and disappointments. The Quaid’s vision was to see Pakistan flourish as a progressive, innovative, and responsible Muslim republic of the developing world, and, therefore, he wanted to introduce, among other things, land reforms immediately.

Soon after his death, the country got entwined in a state of instability and chaos. The process of political devastation ensued soon after the demise of the country’s founding leaders. This tragedy gave rise to feudalism, and powerful landlords got an opportunity to prevail and penetrate through the delicate fabric of the political system. Political dynasties came into being in all provinces of the country.

It is a well-known fact that democracy brings prosperity for any civilised nation, but unlike in other successful countries, democracy has not succeeded in Pakistan. This is because we have not developed as a nation to understand the true value of being an independent nation.

Due to our weaknesses, other countries have managed to take advantage of our inequities for their interests and benefits. Politics and organised crime go hand in hand, enabling conspiracies to thrive and mislead people in the country. Disruptive activities within the country such as bloodshed, target killing, kidnapping for ransom, land grabbing, changing loyalties, corruption, etc, are examples of the deadly games some influential political persons play to remain in power.

The loss of one half of the country in 1971 was another reason why we could not come together and find solutions as one nation. Although the turmoil in the eastern wing was a result of the Bengali separatist movement, the group did not arise overnight and had its roots in the history of Pakistan. That the break-up of Pakistan was due to the failure of the then political and military leaderships or an international conspiracy, including India’s involvement, is quite clear today.

We did not learn from our past mistakes. Even today, there are those that try to destabilise the country at every turn and at all levels. Instead of moving forward, the country takes two steps backwards. Unfortunately, this dilemma has been the biggest catastrophe of our homeland.

This prolonged uncertainty in the country has been like malignancy, and can only be restored by an honest leader and a good administrator who can fearlessly tackle the root causes and take the nation forward.

In today’s modern time, where science and technology has surpassed its innovative limits especially in the cyber world, giving us access to a wealth of information, and thanks to a larger majority of young people in Pakistan, the country stands on the threshold of an economic and political turnaround. The future is digital and that is where we must focus on our future endeavours; the world has moved too far away in important matters such as climate change, environmental upgrades, financial inclusion, renewal energy, etc, that it has become imperative for developing countries like Pakistan to move away from the shackles of political divide and conspiracies and make a difference in the lives of its citizens.

Prosperity is at our fingertips; all we must do is think out of the box, engage our young people, those who are educated and those who are professionally sound, to reach out and attain the next frontier. There are many countries who have succeeded in favourable economic growth and building a nation to be on the path of progress and prosperity.

China is one good example; its civilisation originated even before the Shang dynasty when culture, literature and philosophy was developed and this was further given progress during the Zhou dynasty. This continued till its last imperial dynasty, called the Qing dynasty, which ended in 1911. After this period, China was in the grip of bloodshed and civil commotion. When the civil war ended in 1949, and the communist party of China took control on October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China. During this period, China had a strong economic and cultural growth, and today we can see this country as the world’s biggest trade powerhouse.

Malaysia is again a good paradigm, a country which was ruled by the British. When it got its independence along with other peninsular states, on September 16, 1963, Malaysia had great economic advantages. It was among the world’s leading producers of three valuable commodities, rubber, tin, and palm oil, and a significant iron ore producer. These export industries gave the Malayan government a healthy surplus to invest in industrial development and infrastructure projects. Under the premiership of Mahathir bin Mohammad, Malaysia experienced tremendous economic growth from the 1980s onwards. This period saw a shift from an agriculture-based economy to one based on the manufacturing and industrial sectors, in areas such as computers and consumer electronics.

South Korea is another example of economic growth and stability. It is a known fact that Dr Mahbubul Haq, an economist and professor of micro-economics of Karachi University, who served as finance minister from 1985 to 1988, gave a five-year development plan to South Korea which, after its timely implementation, yielded rapid progress in the development of the economy. However, for reasons unknown, we could not benefit from this great technocrat.

In the 2018 general elections, the PTI became the leading single party, and its leader, Imran Khan, who did not have any political experience but the conviction to change, became prime minister. The writing was on the wall; the people were so disappointed with the past governments that they voted the two main feudal parties and their leaderships out.

There are so many examples of progress made by countries which became independent after us, but the prima facie fact remains the same: we have defaulted on our political character, and therefore, only a true leader who aspires to work and change the entire perspective of the political science of Pakistan can radically bring about the promised change. The malignancy of corruption and injustice, which has now penetrated our lives, must be dealt with immediately.

Let us resolve and come together as a nation; let justice prevail and corruption eradicated; and let the youth and professionals of Pakistan lead us into this digitised 21st century. The future is now.

The writer, currently based in Canada, is a former chairman of the Pakistan Hotels' Association.