Insaf Ali Bangwar<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s history subsumes many critical junctures that shaped the future events and right after independence, the first critical juncture took place: the death of the supreme leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1948). That juncture created a \u2018decent leadership\u2019 crisis since many leaders \u2013 pseudo or otherwise \u2013 had a say that eventually concluded in futile policymaking, ephemeral projects and a blurred way forward vision. As historical thesaurus suggests, the Pakistani political landscape remained a political musical chair with numerous individuals being hired and fired on supreme executive positions \u2013 president ships, PMships and governor generals. Another consequence was the delay in crafting an egalitarian Constitution containing everyone\u2019s rights regardless of gender, race, creed, ethnicity, religion and originality. That constitutional crisis in the initial years and fluctuations in leadership pushed Pakistan further into a political quagmire.
\nSolely in 1956 came Pakistan\u2019s Constitution and Pakistan had one positive development: the purchase of Gwadar on 8 Sept, 1958, courtesy of Feroze Khan Noon. Referring to the people of Gwadar, Noon said: \u2013 not putting the exact words though \u2013 \u201cyou\u2019re all free to breathe in the land of pure\u201d. And ironically, just after 29 days, Pakistan suffered its first coup: another critical juncture. The criticality of that juncture was vicious, cruel, horrifying and lengthy. Pakistan got a new Constitution with one word shorter in its name than the previous: Republic of Pakistan. Though an election, solely of name, took place sans a considerable political participation, Gen Ayub ruled Pakistan by hook or by crook till 1969 and ironically, this period, afforded by American dollars is referred to as the \u201cdecade of development\u201d. With Gen Yahya Khan assuming power, Pakistan had a critical juncture for the third time and a heavier one: the fall of Dhaka.
\nPakistan lost its east wing owing to the preposterous denial of Awami League mandate, the unacceptance of some basic demands \u2013 some were unacceptable in reality, like separate currency \u2013 and a lack of political reconciliation. The points demanded by the Awami League leader were amended through the 18th amendment in the Constitution in 2010. Pakistan\u2019s west political leaders ideological divides along with military meddling lost Pakistan the special status of governing two pervasively present bodies. The fall of Dhaka can be summed up in three words: Insurgence, civil war and separation.
\nThat done, Pakistan crafted another Constitution with a single body country adding the previously omitted word \u2013 Islamic \u2013 in the name of the country. Instability becoming the sobriquet of Pakistan, leadership crisis turning hallmark, and \u2018dictatorial democracy\u2019 catalysing as the pseudonym. In these circumstances, Weimar\u2019s republic collapsed, so did Pakistan. The instability started taking its root in the aftermaths of extractive political and economic institutions, the elite\u2019s incessant rest on the realm, the subsequent military coups \u2013 two times after the Fall of Dhaka \u2013 coercion, and intervention influenced judicial proceedings.
\nPakistan paid a heavy price for involving herself in other\u2019s wars: USSR invasion in Afghanistan and the US led \u2018war on terror.\u2019 Due to the absence of non-interventionism and isolationism in the country\u2019s foreign policy, Pakistan jumped into the bandwagon sans considering the consequences. Pakistan prioritised being a facilitator rather than minding its own business.
\nFast forward to the politics of 21st in Pakistan. And again, new era, old ideologies, policies and practices. Isn\u2019t it ironic that never a prime executive of Pakistan completed his term. With youth in obsolete state, penury pervasively haunting millions, and gender parity at 0.575 and reversing, myopically created non-punitive policies implies instead of evolving and working for the betterment of society, Pakistan devolved.
\nThe reasons making Pakistan count as a third world country, or even fourth are; first and foremost, instability, in all spheres; political, economic, social and security, followed by the absence of visionary leaders like Lee Kuan Yew. If a leader parallel to Singaporean is not found, stability still has the power to transcend the bulwarks of short term shortcomings. Pakistan\u2019s path towards prosperity lies in making robust and visionary policies, prevailing merit in all portfolios, and allocating positions to deserving ones.
\nWith instability intended to stay here, Pakistan needs to switch from political rivalry to political reconciliation, from traditionally adopted apparatus to technologically driven mechanism, from agrarian output to industrial production, and from extremist and manipulation ruling tendencies to liberal elements enshrined in the Constitution. Indigenous sanguines do not demand European standard living, American rule of law, Singaporean economic policies, Scandinavian education systems, or Kuwaiti currency value. Rather request for minimal constitutional necessities, rudimentary rights, and a milieu of living free from violence and fear. Cut instability and rest of the horrifying developments will vanish in the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n
The writer is a freelancer. He can be reached: insafalibangwar98@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Insaf Ali Bangwar Pakistan\u2019s history subsumes many critical junctures that shaped the future events and right after independence, the first critical juncture took place: the death of the supreme leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1948). That juncture created a \u2018decent leadership\u2019 crisis since many leaders \u2013 pseudo or otherwise \u2013 had a say that eventually concluded […]<\/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":[13312],"class_list":{"0":"post-409388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-insaf-ali-bangwar"},"yoast_head":"\n