06

For all its past achievements of its national cricket squad with the bat and ball, Pakistan is now on a sticky wicket of a different nature altogether. Multifarious problems are shooting and scooting at its establishment necessitating a course correction learning lessons to figure out the way out of the quagmire from which it finds itself now.  Democracy not being able to strike deep roots, political leaders and parties participating in the electoral process are not considered as neither opponents nor competitors but enemies. As such they are to be eliminated from the political scene. The process may involve a terminal conflict. It hardly matters to the players if this mindset betrays intolerance and lack of respect for democratic norms. 

War paradigm seems to be guiding Pakistani political conduct. An intensely antagonistic politics involving bitter feuds between political opponents. 

The powers that be irrespective of their political leaning rarely engage with their UK me opponents. Destabilising the government of the day seems to be the sole object of the Opposition without much caring for the means to do so. That the situation is unhealthy and fatal to parliamentary democracy was overlooked. It led to military intervention and in the guise of restoration of public order, the men in uniform dug in their heels in the political stage. 

Twin tools to strengthen democracy, compromise and consensus are dispensed with. It has not led to strengthening of civilian supremacy and flowering of democracy. 

Continuance of intra-elite power tussle has led to overlooking of the risk of opening space for the military and culminating in the seizure of control of the political system. Unfortunately, there came up political parties who will not think twice of taking resort to military intervention for removal of their opponents. 

On its part, the military readily found political allies to oust civilian governments. Men in uniform taking over power thereafter followed. 

Understanding the role of non-political forces having the last word in matters of state policy, one must not lose sight of the fact that Pakistan has spent 30 years of its existence under direct military rule losing two wars with India, the last one giving rise to Bangladesh. 

But this does not seem to be enough. A “hybrid democracy” is in place in Pakistan since 2018 in which the military has an expansive role in governance. 

Public respect for the men in uniform notwithstanding their role lacked public legitimacy. Army rule in Pakistan, a constitutional transgression lacked political public acceptance and failed to deliver political stability and economic progress. As for the “hybrid democracy”, it further skewed army-civilian balance ushering in democratic regression. Delivering cohesive and effective governance is way behind its reach and capacity. 

Lines of authority are confused in this system thereby weakening the chain of command which the military understands so well. The “hybrid model” must go for a toss in Pakistan.

A trap of chronic fiscal deficits, balance of payments problems, high inflation and macroeconomic instability are staring Pakistan in the face. Wide ranging reforms need to be put in place to address these structural economic problems.

Depending on “friendly nations” and the IMF to bail out of the situation is a short-term fix. Successive regimes have evaded reform for decades and resisted mobilising adequate internal resources have given rise to deep seated economic weakness. 

Inability to invest in its vast human capital has left Pakistan at the bottom of global human development rankings. Malnutrition levels remain grim, poverty has increased to almost 40 per cent, 22 million school-age children remain out of school; the list goes on. 

The society is sharply divided into religious lines. Extremist groups have been encouraged by the state which with the fallout of the Afghan situation have heightened threat to Pakistan’s security. 

It is not a tall order learning from these errors and correcting state policy which arose from protecting individual political interest. There are no shortcuts to the revival route shedding en route the dead weights of the past.