The hardest thing for us to do, at this juncture in history, is to recognize the uneasy reality that there is something seriously wrong with the direction in which the country is moving. We would shrug our shoulders at hearing scholars across the world predicting Pakistan going the way of failed states. We will try to make ourselves believe that these scholars are not conscious of the ground realities of our land. It might not be too far from reality.
However, when one honestly looks into the mirror, you start to have a terrible sinking feeling. No matter how hard we try, the horrible picture is difficult to evade. The amount and severity of the problems facing us have exhausted most of the efforts aimed at resolution.
Much has gone wrong with Pakistan in the last couple of years. It, perhaps, features more in the news vibes across the globe than it ever did in its 60 years history – unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. The policy-makers have been compelled by the situation to call off the pursuit of higher, long-term goals and resort to disaster management. The dilemma they have to face is that if they opt for a quick-fix solution, the problems threaten to proliferate, and the time is running out for the long-term solutions. Most of the policy matters they have to deal with are sensitive but speculative in nature. Putting a foot wrong can invite a disaster of gigantic magnitude.
The abysmal state of affairs frustrates the man on the streets. He hopes against hope that somehow the goods would be delivered to the nation by some messiah, or by a divinely directed miracle. The next moment, however, he would have reality staring straight into his eyes, piercing whatever optimism he might have been able to accumulate. One does not have to have the ability of mind-reading to be able to know that the common people have few illusions about the severity of the problems. They do not have a reason to be unaware – particularly because they stand in the frontline.
The locus of terrorism shifted from the war-ridden countries to Pakistan. During the first three months of 2008, Pakistan surpassed Iraq and Afghanistan on the number of suicide attacks. Knowing fully well that it is absurd to talk in figures about the deaths and attacks, and getting more concerned about something in close proximity, one is bound to get anxious after reading the figures. The irony is that we are getting accustomed to it.
The disappointment would not be as excruciating, if we would have been under-attack from a foreign force. The very feeling that a portion of our population believes that it would find eternal bliss by killing some among us is distressing beyond articulation into words. The common people find themselves caught in the crossfire by people adhering to contrasting ideological extremes. The grey area between the black and white is diminishing with every passing day.
As if terrorism and extremism was not enough, the economic problems haunt us to death every passing day. On July 4, 2008, the Federal Bureau of Statistics pointed out that inflation has increased by 31 per cent in comparison to the same week last year. One can blame the international oil prices, the growing domestic demand, or most of all the previous government, but does it matter. These reasons may to some extent justify the increase in prices, but they do not improve the situation one bit. These reasons and justifications will surely not be sufficient to prevent millions of Pakistanis from falling into the trap of poverty.
The government has not been able to resolve the energy crisis that is troubling every household in the country. While the increase in the petroleum oil prices can be attributed to the trends in international market, one has to be disapproving of the swelling of the prices of CNG. Pakistan is facing a huge shortage of electricity with the rural areas of Pakistan facing up to 12 hours of daily blackouts. Most of the energy projects are considered politically too risky for a weak government that already has enough to deal with.
In the midst of all these practical difficulties, Pakistan is facing the utmost legal crisis in its history. The judges are on the march every week. The common folk do not know whether the issue is real or superficial, and whether people are fighting for their own interests or for the interest of Pakistan. The issue has earned Asif Ali Zardari the title of “New Musharraf” from the lawyers, for whom the title does not mean something complimentary.
Instead of trying to understand the situation that Pakistan is in, the United States has repeatedly blamed Pakistan for not being able to do enough. Karzai hits out at Pakistan in order to provoke the people against Pakistan to be able to escape the responsibility himself. Everyone conveniently forgets that Pakistan has suffered more than any other country in this war against terror. Our attempts to change our image for the better have largely been rendered futile by the outbreak of anti-Pakistan rhetoric from all sides.
We are fast losing our patience. The nation and state of Pakistan has never been through such external threats and internal strife. Despite the fact that everyone finds it easy to take on the government for the sake of recording a criticism, no one wants to be in the shoes of our prime minister.
The problem is not so much with being faced with the number of problems Pakistan is in, it is with the disagreement over solutions for all these problems. If we would know an all-agreed remedy for a problem, there would have been no problem. However, the remedy for one means exacerbation of the problem for another. We are a nation not only frustrated but divided as well.
Nations face such times in their histories. Some cope with them and achieve a higher category of development. They stand tall in the community of nations. Others flounder on the way. The situation is an opportunity as well as a predicament. We can go to another higher level and can regress to lower one. The time is to make choices for our national interest, no matter what others think of us.
Although there is little room to hope for, we still dare to hope that the situation is a transition from lower to higher, from disunity to unity, from dependence to independence and from self-doubt to self-esteem. We may be frustrated with the situation; we are not lack the vigour.
