Pakistan has every ingredient to be not only a stable nation-state but also a great regional power. It has abundant fertile lands, coastal areas, all four seasons, places that are attractive for tourists, and above all, diversity. As the Holy Qur`an encourages diversity. And indeed, it is the beauty of any nation. Despite all these blessings, Pakistan is compared with Sri Lanka, a country that has recently been bankrupt, Nepal or Bhutan which have hardly any say in international affairs, or Afghanistan, a state that is going through instability and internal conflicts for decades now. It is thereby claimed in this piece that the extreme disorder, confusion, and incompetency in the politics of Pakistan, or in other words political mayhem in the country is one of the main reasons behind all odds the country is going through.
For almost half of its life, Pakistan has been ruled by dictators. For the other half, it could not get rid of dynastic politics. Even recently when the army decided to remain neutral in the political affairs of the country, the former ruling political party like its predecessors made every attempt to tilt the organization in its favor. However, this mayhem is not new. Since Jinnah`s death and the assassination of his closest party member, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951, the country, unfortunately, has not seen any political leadership that could stick to the cause of steering it in the right direction.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto is widely considered the one who attempted to bring order in the politics of the country but even his entry into politics was not purely on merit. His wife, his daughter, his son-in-law, and even his grandson have hardly made any difference. The same goes for the Nawaz family. That family`s entry into politics is also beyond the concept of meritocracy. More importantly, both the mainstream political families of the country favor dynastic politics, as confessed by a Noon Leagui Mr. Miftah Ismail in its ‘One Percent Republic.’ Though Imran Khan is not a product of dynastic politics, his journey to becoming the prime minister of Pakistan is also a result of similar blessings that the Bhuttos and Sharifs have enjoyed in the past.
The use of Islam in politics is yet another factor that sustains mayhem in the politics of the country. Certain political parties play the religion card to gain public support. Religion being a sensitive business in Pakistan, such political parties and their leaders are hardly questioned in open debates, unlike other political parties. This fact has multiplied the use of religion as a tool even by the so-called secular political parties in the country, who use Islam to get sympathizers, with rare exceptions of course.
In short, extreme disorder, confusion and incompetency in the politics of Pakistan have remained central challenges in addressing the genuine issues of the country and stabilizing its politics and economy. Even the faces that have been tried multiple times to run the affairs of the state and have failed miserably, still hold key positions. To get out of the game of musical chairs in the politics of the country and bring ‘the right person for the right job’ culture in Pakistan, the following recommendations can be followed.
Firstly, every citizen of the state needs to adhere by the constitution of the country only then he/she can demand the same from the ruling elite. For this purpose, it is important for the citizens to know their constitution. Because until citizens are not aware of the constitution, how can they ask for their rights and perform their duties? For this purpose, the constitution of the state should be made compulsory to pass school, college, and university examinations as well as job tests and interviews. By making the constitution a mandatory part of the syllabus, the citizens can be familiarized with their duties and rights towards the state and other fellow citizens. This is a time taking process and may bear fruits in coming decades but only then they are credible enough to ask their representatives to abide by the constitution.
The use of print, electronic, and social media, as well as cinema are yet other means to achieve the said purpose. Creating awareness in this regard will also help promote positive practices in the country to mainly eradicate corruption, short-sightedness, stubbornness, and extremism from society.
Moreover, under the supreme law of Pakistan, the judiciary, in particular, must also be made to treat everyone equally before the law. As our Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “The people before you were destroyed because they used to inflict legal punishments on the poor and forgive the rich. By Him in Whose Hand my soul is! If Fatima (the daughter of the Prophet) did that (that is, steal), I would cut off her hand.” This too however is only possible once the citizens are aware of their rights and duties, know the consequences if they perpetrate the law and if the institutions are strengthened over the period of time by promotion of rule of law and accountability.
Secondly, opportunities should be given to the youth of the state as most of them are energetic to do something and when the state and the governments fail to engage them in different fields, they become vulnerable to outlawed groups, ethnic as well as religious. Fair distribution of the resources as per the constitution of the country can be a grand milestone in this regard to initiate the process of engaging the youth of the state. It will help to address the frustrations of the citizens only then they can positively participate in the politics of the country.
To conclude, if the recommendations are acted upon, in the long run, the citizens of Pakistan will get out of the survival mindset and will surely opt for thriving. Their adherence to the constitution, questioning of their representatives, fair distribution of resources, and authorities` encouragement towards youth to participate in politics and provision of opportunities depending on their skill set will create more chances for their political participation and will subsequently change flawed practices in the politics of Pakistan. These new practices might bring the house in order and hopefully, a cobbler`s son or a farmer`s daughter will also be able to become president or prime minister of the state who even cannot imagine that in today`s dynastic and flawed practices in politics of Pakistan.
[Photo by Jamal Panhwar / Pixabay]
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect TGP’s editorial stance.
The author is a research fellow at Balochistan Think Tank Network, Quetta, Pakistan.
