Najm us Saqib<\/p>\n
It was a full house. The debate be\u00adtween wishful thinking and reality was about to begin. The stage was graced by logic, needs, experience and history. Foreign observers could be seen among the large audience comprising 240 million heads. Poets, authors, philosophers, economists, politicians, parlia\u00admentarians, military personnel, judges, bureaucrats, LEAs, aca\u00addemicians, lawyers, doctors, en\u00adgineers, artists, laborers, students, farmers, traders, and businessmen \u2013 all segments of society were in attendance. Women and children could be seen in a sperate enclosure quietly enjoying mu\u00adsic and refreshments. Massive and fool\u00adproof security arrangements were made to address any untoward incidence. The common man was also present.
\nIt was March 2024.
\nModerator: Distinguished guests, once again we are faced with a similar awk\u00adward situation. Seventy-six years have passed, and we are still struggling to have a direction for this country. The most important question is: How long will it take for the country to embark upon the journey of welfare and pros\u00adperity? The rules are very simple. A maximum of one minute for each inter\u00advention. One speaker at a time. A two-minute Q&A will follow. Watching the proceedings via satellite, the Jury will announce its verdict once the fifteen-minute debate comes to an end. Keep your cellphones on silent and raise your hands if there is any question. The ques\u00adtions must be brief and to the point. May I now invite the first contestant.
\nWishful thinking: The general elec\u00adtions have produced a split mandate. However, political uncertainty has been addressed effectively. Democracy is flourishing in the country. Now the pro\u00adcess of economic recovery begins. All ini\u00adtiatives taken by the caretaker set up will be followed in letter and spirit including the inflow of $ 100 billion investment through SIFC, privatization of SOEs and FBR reforms. Let this coalition stay in power for five years and we will be on the path of making the country the next Asian Tiger. No IMF, no extra aid and grants, no terrorism, and no nonsense. All institutions will work for the better\u00adment of the people while strictly remain\u00ading within their prescribed bounds.
\nReality: The economic crisis has deep\u00adened further. So has political uncertain\u00adty. The previous 16-month long coali\u00adtion government succeeded in only three spheres. All cases against their lead\u00aders have either been reversed, quashed, or kept for future use. Secondly, all im\u00adportant constitutional and official po\u00adsitions have been secured to continual\u00adly address their own interests. Thirdly, the next generation of rulers have been nominated from within the family in the larger interest of the country. The com\u00admon man\u2019s difficulties have increased many folds while others are counting their days. The one who promised to bring back the looted money is languish\u00ading in jail, requesting the IMF to join the country\u2019s Audit Department.
\nWishful thinking: Definite disappoint\u00adments must be addressed through in\u00addefinite hope. Leaders have learned their lessons. They will never repeat their past mistakes. This time around, the headmaster will not spare any teacher who forces his students to take private tuitions. All traffic rules will be followed strictly. Meritocracy will be ensured. Anyone found stealing or tak\u00ading bribes will meet exemplary punish\u00adment. An attendance register has been placed for all parliamentarians, execu\u00adtives, judges, and media houses. No dil\u00adly dallying anymore. Enough is enough. Trust me. Our future is bright.
\nReality: The mega projects? The circu\u00adlar debt? The debt servicing? Fiscal defi\u00adcit? Pensions? Electricity and gas? Infla\u00adtion? Food security? Population growth? Education and health sectors? Industry? Agriculture? FDIs and trade? Climate Change? Polarization? Insecurities? Kashmir? Afghanistan? India? Terror\u00adism and TTP? Ukraine War? The Middle East? Relations with the West? China? Russia? This seems a lot of homework for a weak coalition that itself needs le\u00adgitimacy to begin with\u2026!!
\nWishful thinking: Calm down. Take a deep breath. Don\u2019t be in a hurry. It took the United States of America over three-hundred years to establish itself as a world power. We are only seventy-six years old. Have patience. Give us at least five successive tenures without in\u00adterruption. Don\u2019t interfere. We will bring the country out of all the problems it is facing at present. For progress, the peo\u00adple must pay a price as well. The rul\u00aders are not supposed to pay their utility bills. They have other important matters to deal with. In any case, bureaucracy is there to address all issues that have just been mentioned. The leaders are there to give direction and provide vision. Don\u2019t forget that they also have families and several mouths to feed.
\nReality: The issue is not that we don\u2019t know the issues at hand. All of us are ful\u00adly aware of the situation. The problem is that no one wants to address these is\u00adsues effectively. Individualism produc\u00ades personal results. The absence of col\u00adlectivism will never allow the country to grow. Imagine a country at the threshold of default but its citizenry boasts about having several billionaires, in dollars? Our future is not bleak. We don\u2019t have a future. Have you heard of yet another PIA staff member who left a thank-you note for the national carrier before dis\u00adappearing in Toronto? Let us see when the incarcerated leader writes a letter to the International Civil Aviation Organi\u00adzation, requesting an immediate halt to all flights to and from Canada. Talk about the soft image of the country\u2026.!!
\nModerator: I can see two hands raised. Kindly be precise in your comments or questions.
\nStudent: We don\u2019t need laptops. We need jobs. If the government cannot provide jobs to us, our visas may be ar\u00adranged to leave this country. We will go abroad and send remittances back home. This is the only way the country can run. Otherwise, history will keep re\u00adpeating itself.
\nCommon man: What is this form-45 all about? And Forms-47, 48 and 49? In a country where the Election Commis\u00adsion cannot perform the only duty it is entrusted with \u2013 why do they take sala\u00adries the whole year if they need to hold elections occasionally? Billions of ru\u00adpees have been spent on holding the elections without producing a fair result. If the government can be formed with\u00adout having a fair result \u2013 why hold elec\u00adtions? Have mercy on us, please. My six children have lost considerable weight as I am no longer able to provide them more than one meal a day. I was forced to give my seventeen-year-old daugh\u00adter\u2019s hand in marriage to a seventy-five-year-old man. My eight-year-old boy is compelled to work in a workshop. My wife has developed asthma. My mother has just passed away as I could not af\u00adford her medical bills. My father is on the roads begging for food. And what are you people doing? Discussing the bene\u00adfits of democracy?
\nModerator: I think that\u2019s all for to\u00adday. The jury is requested to kindly an\u00adnounce its verdict.
\nJury: Let us wait for the approved min\u00adutes of the meeting first. Our verdict will be announced after consulting the rele\u00advant quarters. Good day.
\nThe writer is a former Ambassador of Pakistan and author of eight books in three languages. He can be reached at najmussaqib1960@msn.com<\/p>\n
Courtesy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Najm us Saqib It was a full house. The debate be\u00adtween wishful thinking and reality was about to begin. The stage was graced by logic, needs, experience and history. Foreign observers could be seen among the large audience comprising 240 million heads. Poets, authors, philosophers, economists, politicians, parlia\u00admentarians, military personnel, judges, bureaucrats, LEAs, aca\u00addemicians, lawyers, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[12978],"class_list":{"0":"post-391426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-najm-us-saqib"},"yoast_head":"\n