Why it is that even after 65 years, Pakistan is still unsure about its way forward?

In its short history, Pakistan has witnessed several chaotic regimes. The whole era has been filled with utter confusion and complete lust for power. The public “servants” have been ruling the masses, not serving them. The extent of the mayhem can be seen from the fact that half of the time Pakistan has been ruled by the Generals and the other half by the politicians - the so called ‘lawmakers’ of this country. There are just too many groups, schools of thought, alliances and coalitions for a small state, Pakistan, to handle. It’s because of the several different ideologies and doctrines, I believe, that Pakistan has remained a divided and unsure state.

Unity -a word so simple yet holding a much greater meaning. For any country, to move forward and to even hope for prosperity, unity is the vital element. Tragically, this very characteristic has been lacking since Pakistan’s creation. It took us nine years after independence to agree on our first constitution in 1956. Between 1956 and 1958, we had four successive governments, upon which Nehru famously quoted that he didn’t change his ‘dhotis’ as frequently as we changed our governments. Ayub brought in a new constitution and the presidential form of government in 1962, Yahya brought martial law in 1969 and in 1973, Bhutto brought parliamentary form of government and yet another constitution agreed by all political parties. This was followed by Zia’s martial law and the notorious 8^th amendment to the constitution. The US constitution was written in 1787 and consists of a preamble, seven original articles, twenty-seven amendments, and a paragraph certifying its enactment by the constitutional convention. The 1973 constitution of Pakistan, on the other hand, had 7 amendments from 1973 – 1977 and 9 since (3 others were proposed but not passed). With such drastic examples, unity seems like an almost laughable idea.

Another problem arises when the word ‘Pakistani’ disappears and the use of regional categories increases – Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi, Pathan or Muhajir but not Pakistani. It is issues like these which give rise to a confusion about the future of the state. Who will rule the federation, a Sindhi or a Punjabi? Who will be the head of the armed forces? Do we vote on issues or for “biradari”? All these questions have been raised hundreds of times in the past 63 years and whatever the answer, they all reiterate the same thing – lack of unity.

It’s not just about regional differences. Pakistan is a country plagued by sectarian conflict. Pakistan’s core ideology has been distorted, so as to cater for the interests of some extremist elements in the federation. Difference in religious principles isn’t even the main problem; it’s the different sects among Muslims, whose conflicting philosophies have led the country to become a place where no one’s sure about the future. There is a huge divide among the masses and it has almost reached that point where making things better would not even be an option. One might wonder how democracy and dictatorship are linked with sectarian violence. The answer is very simple- Pakistanis are unsure about their beliefs, they are killing each other for believing in a slightly different version of the same religion, and, simply put, the whole system is a ‘big mess’. When an almost 200 million population is skeptical about its belief, how will it be sure about who to choose as its leader? More frankly, in a country plagued with uncertainty about its basic needs like gas and food, thinking about resolving ideological differences is a luxury.

The new generation is confused- hardly surprising when all they see around them is increasing bitterness between factions, whether religious or regional. The pride that used to be associated with the word “Pakistani” seems to be a thing of the romanticized past where our ancestors had laid their lives down for this identity and a brighter future. Why is it today that we are stumbling into regression where basic questions like our identity and ideology remain unanswered?

When General Musharraf came to power after the 1999 military coup, sweets were distributed in the streets of all major cities. People thought that army was the way forward. In 2008, after a turmoil filled 9 years when Gen. Musharraf resigned, again people celebrated and sweets were distributed. If this is not confusion then what is this? People are uncertain about what they want and the major reason for this ambiguity is the fact that Pakistanis don’t stand united- neither on religious grounds nor or cultural grounds. Whether the best way forward for Pakistan is democracy or dictatorship, I believe, is a secondary issue. The foremost action should be to draw out everyone from their local cultural norms or their religious enmities and to bring them under one word, call it a religion, ideology, culture or a creed, “Pakistani”.

Maheem Khan