The nations that achieved independence just about the same time as Pakistan did, have gone far ahead of us in terms of political stability and socioeconomic development. It is really tragic to note that even after seventy-five years of gaining independence we as a nation are still groping in the dark to find the right way to our destination which was envisioned by the founding father. The quagmire in which Pakistan is stuck at the moment is surely a self-inflicted misfortune. The seventy five years have been a history of treachery and betrayal of the objectives of creation of a separate homeland; a history of flouting and undermining the vision of the founder of Pakistan; a of history of pummelling the constitution and governing through extra-constitutional steps; a history of politicians subverting the continuation of democratically elected governments by urging military takeovers to settle scores with their opponents; a history of generals derailing the democratic process and destroying the institutions of the state to assuage their lust for power.
Let’s not settle for less! Pakistan, therefore, is grieved and lying flat on its back yearning to erase the past and make a new beginning. I would, for the benefit of the readers, like to quote English renderings of my two odes that portray the ordeal that this nation has gone through and the criminal indifference to learning from history as well as lack of willingness for required corrective action.
Here is an English rendering of the first ode “We are treading the same paths and the same lowness. The whole country is engulfed by gloom and despondency. Darkness covers the horizon but the villains are still engaged in their evil acts. There is no change in our days and nights and we are still being pushed around by flag-bearers of vested interests. Our leaders who have betrayed the vision of the Quaid are not prepared to mend their ways. They have always bowed before others but feel proud of their pursuits. They are not worried about the country, democracy and peace which are essential for the progress of the state. But who cares that you must be fuming about the situation every passing moment ?”
PDM bigwigs call on PM Shehbaz amid political heat The second one goes like this “The freedom to speak the truth is under curbs and is subservient to expediencies. There is an uneasy silence all around. No voice emanates from the hearts. The garden of hope lies deserted and no desire brings warmth to the heart. Even the moonbeam has lost its attraction and the nights have also been bereft of peace. The air no more sings the songs of merriment. The tragedy is that nobody is ready to reflect on why we have reached where we find ourselves today.”
I am now 75 years old. During my thirty-two years of government service, I held some high positions, served in three Pakistani missions abroad, and also saw the politicians operating from close quarters. On the basis of my experience, I can safely claim that I did not come across any honest politician or ruler. We have been ruled by insensitive and ruthless demagogues who practiced politics of self-aggrandizement. They all took this nation for a ride. While recklessly engaged in building their own fortunes and those who supported them in their anti-people policies they kept duping the masses by making false claims about development notwithstanding the fact that since 1958 all the successive governments have invariably relied on the IMF. This reality falsifies the myth about development.
PM Shehbaz vows to strengthen ties with US However, the precarious economic and political situation permeating in the country at the moment knows no parallels in our history. When Imran Khan was in power he refused to have a working relationship with the opposition parties and practiced politics of vendetta by implicating his opponents in false cases as is proven by their acquittal by the courts. This forced the opposition parties to form an alliance which ultimately removed him from power through a vote of no-confidence. It was his government that went to IMF and at the fag end wriggled out of its commitments pushing the country to the edge of a precipice. His government obtained loans of more than 70% of the loans taken by the previous governments in the 75-year history of Pakistan. This has tremendously contributed to the economic meltdown. Unfortunately, his reaction to his exit from power is extremely undesirable. He not only has been targeting his benefactors for his fall but has also taken unconstitutional steps to destabilize the PDM government. There was simply no justification for dissolving Punjab and KP assemblies. Politics can wait for better times. Unless this is done the country will remain in the grip of the snow-balling crisis. Honestly speaking it will take at least a decade to bring the economy back on rails provided there is political stability in the country and all stakeholders agree to a national economic agenda. Any party claiming that as a result of new elections, the economic situation will have a magical turnaround, is actually playing the same old sinister game.
Country should be saved from Ishaq Dar's policies: Hammad Azhar
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