Near to the edge of cliff for plunge – By Gul Rehan
Every Pakistani is in quandary and dismayed over how the politics are shaping up and the economy dwindling. Foreign exchange reserves dipped to $5.6 billion from $16.6 billion within days, stalling of IMF’s tranche, fast devaluating of rupee, the whole country plunging in darkness due to non-payment of IPPs dues, price hike in petrol due to shortage of cash for importing oil. If such condition prevailed little longer the country will inch toward default. There isn’t one but many a factor having cumulative effect over the years; political instability, military interventions. Politicians traded off their loyalties, sanctity of parliament trampled, constitution abrogated and held in abeyance, laws changed and compromised to suit selected few. Those who stood against unprincipled moves were shoved from their ways unceremoniously.
Political parties split either by their own free will or arm-twisted through external agents, elections were rigged, and the establishment carved counter-political forces. The MQM, IJI, PML(N) are parties which saw rise and all. Quaid-e-Millat Liquat Ali Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto were removed from the political scene mysteriously. At times the country had become bloody ground through state-sponsored religious fanatics. I believe bad politicking and national psyche both have their fair shares in the present mess.
A country which is naturally resourceful, rich and diverse culturally, but its majority population lives in abject poverty, turmoil and anarchy. Political appointments caused downfall of PSEs. Expediency and exigency in formulating planning and polices, preference of micro versus macro-economic reforms, prioritizing revenue versus capital expenditure proved lethal.
A layman is flabbergasted in a great dilemma over the current political landscape for the many parties with same manifestos but getting fragmentation and making unholy alliances. MQM; party of pre-partition immigrants (Muhajirs) gets splintered into many a faction- MQM (Haqiqi), MQM (A), Pak Sarzameen. Public are overtly sold different story while covertly it might be different altogether. PML split into L, M, N, Q etc. too. MQM fearing diminishing control and street power, depletion of the voter bank, all factions are realigning again in the presence of PPP and emerging popularity of PTI. Who or what lies behind these wedging factors; inter or intra party players and what good or bad purpose it serves? Rural Sind, the ruling bastion of PPP for over three decades is reflecting mockery of its manifesto. Such marriages of convenience and doctrine of necessity temporarily serve vested quarters but leave the public in the lurch.
Presently political parties of all hues under the PDM are synergizing their cumulative energy to keep Imran khan at bay by any means while distorting and dismissing their cases underlying with NAB. Hosh Juanpuri’s couplet merits mention here
| جو اس ضمیر فروشی کے ماہرین میں ہے | بڑھا رہا ہے مری سمت دوستی کا ہاتھ |
| وہ آدمی بھی سنا ہے مورخین میں ہے | ضرور بات کوئی اس کی آستین میں ہے |
What is the political landscape in GB? Except the nationalist parties, more or less it gives the same rotten-smell. There is no clear political stance or firm opinion of their own. Politicians are seen swaying and switching gears with those at the helm in the federal parliament, where lies the string of the purse. Come the election fervor, there is also an additional tinge of sectarianism, tribalism and beradirahism(clanage). The GBLA members can’t take any combined independent decision peculiarly beneficial for the area.
The second grave factor is our holistic national psyche. It has been proved that any country’s fair-ness, quality, respect depend upon public behavior, habits, ethics and civility rather than solely on the political governments of that country. Since nation is the sum up of the conditions of its individuals. And a nation’s civilization is actually dependent upon the children, men, and women, which make up the nation. National progress is sum total of its individual’s effort, self-respect, honesty and empathy. And a nation’s downfall is the result of dishonesty, selfishness, wrong-doings, uncivilized attitude and mutual social evils. Which is portrayal of people’s own astray lifestyle. If we try to uproot these evils through any external help, these evils would resurface more vigorously in any other form.
Lest these two grievous aspects-bad politicking and mass behavior, are genuinely addressed, the country wouldn’t go anywhere. All tricks and treacheries of politicians and public, those have proved zero square and zero sum condition. The West is only interested in strong military dictatorships, weak democratic setups, powerful kings and kingdoms, so long these serve their interests. Public and investors, on the contrary, need democracy with transparency under autonomous accountability bureaus and continuity of economic policies. Conscientious public would keep eye on those elected representatives who become rich overnight by breaching voters’ trust and selling their votes.
To overcome this steep decline in the nation’s morals, degrading ethical values, and increasing pessimism which has resulted in over 750,000 brain-drain in 2022 alone needs honest, selfless leadership; elected or non-elected, as the likes of Imran Khan. This man has of late exposed the unholy nexus of all and sundry; political and apolitical entities; generals, judges, journalists, militesblashment, who have become nouveau riche at the expense of the state. Hadhrat Ali (AS) says “trust those who have proved themselves faithful”. The decaying economy badly upright technocrats and bureaucrats, who could ensure the provision of good public services, networks of infrastructure, governance, removal of deficiencies, and adherence to rule of law. Restoration of lost trust in the system, and bridging deficits is critical which needs telling history truthfully and learning from past errands and shenanigans by political and apolitical entities. The country had borne enough of it.
The writer hails from Ghizer, currently teaches international baccalaureate (IB) in Gulf country and is pursuing her doctorate in Mathematics.
