Time for internal unity |
And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided” — The Holy Quran (3:103)
WE are in a state of war with Afghanistan and we are sitting on the edge of a regional war, if not World War III. There is no single standard definition of a world war but definitely it is an international war since ‘international’ is widely understood to involve two or more countries. It is a multinational war in any case.
Well-known political commentator Thomas Friedman titled his recent column (March 2) in the New York Times ‘How to think about Trump’s war with Iran’. This is a very apt title of a very complicated Middle East situation and it is not easy to think straight about it. There are more questions than answers and the answers depend on whom you ask. One can peel off layer after layer of the ongoing war to reach the root causes. It can be an endless exercise. Again, the final answers would depend on who is doing the peeling.
What does it mean for the people of Pakistan? After the East Pakistan debacle, I don’t think Pakistan has faced a more difficult situation — this is a tough balancing act as we are walking on a tightrope and juggling multiple balls at the same time.
Compounding an already complicated external situation are our deep internal political divisions and egoistic conflicts — a government lacking legitimacy due to a fraudulent election; an underdeveloped, shamelessly extractive and debt-ridden economy; falling real incomes and unemployment not seen in the last 21 years;........