PAKISTAN — STABLE IN INSTABILITY

Have we ever wondered, why is it so that whenever Pakistan starts speeding up at the runway to take off for foreseeable sustainability, growth, progress and development — something mysteriously strange happens and we find ourselves, at least, 15/20 years behind that runway. A casual look at 75 years of our history reveals that we have moved in circles and that too, backwards. We were doing fine till late 70’s and early 80’s. Our social, economic, human and all other indices were improving with minor occasional fluctuations.

 

What went wrong, what wrong turn we took in late 70's and early 80's that, it has been a nose-dive since then? Even in early 90's, the whole predicted us to be an 'Asian Tiger'. Then, we had our Motorway Project. If we study the original blueprint, it'd leave us amazed, how gigantic and huge a project it was. Originally it had 06 lanes and after every 100 kilometres, there were different economic, trade, industrial and agri zones planned alongside the Motorway. Then, we had QTTA and CPEC. The game changer — had they been successful as it was planned Let's not forget RCD between Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1964 which was replaced by the ECO in 1979 adding Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan). Fast forwarding to 2021, different indices were showing progress again but, we again are back to square one.

 

What is stopping us from achieving sustainability, growth, progress and development? Is it our geography? The habit of acting beyond our weight and size? External (regional and global) factors? Our own collective apathy and lethargy, we have developed over time? Because Pakistan and its people cannot afford to remain stable in instability anymore. This whole ideology that فلاں بچاے گا پاکستان is incorrect. No silver bullet, no messiah, and no hero is coming to rescue us until and unless we, the people of Pakistan, take the initiative of reforms and change … starting with ourselves, first. That is the only way forward. 

 

Hassan Saleem Awan

January 13, 2023