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In the following special MATRIX essay, Riaz Khokhar, the veteran outspoken diplomat, a former Foreign Secretary reflects on how he has seen Pakistan’s evolution since 1947.He also lists down some factors that have impeded political stability, impaired social cohesion, stunted economic growth and strained Pakistan’s relations with some of its neighbors.
I would say the creation of Pakistan itself was a miracle of 20th century due to efforts of one great leader, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He gave us this country after a very complicated struggle, for the independence from the British India. It only after serving in India for 10 years that I realized the importance of the country that the Quaid had created for us.
What followed after 1947 is a different story; it has been a checkered history with ups and downs, internal upheavals, and martial laws. Pakistan had made considerable progress during the 60s and 70s. And I must say that the Chinese made a good contribution in that. And I think the Korean boom helped us a lot and that in the fifties and sixties. But then the slide began with the 1971 tragic separation of East Pakistan.
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I am glad I have had the privilege of serving with four civilian prime ministers.
One of them was Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who collected the pieces and gave this country a sense of feeling after the breakup of Pakistan in 1971. But of course, he made some mistakes too. The decades after him have been a mixed bag, with General Ziaul Haq leaving a legacy that have deeply scarred Pakistan’s political economy.
Then, if one were to look at the last five or ten years, it has been very unfortunate. The country has been drained of its economic strength, systematically drained, the political parties did not live up to their reputation.
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Corruption, and the weakening impact that it had on the institutions. I can tell you that the bureaucracy today is in a very bad shape. They are no longer what was expected of them and the guidelines that Quaid e Azam had laid down, for the bureaucracy.
Primary Reason of Deterioration
Systemic corruption, abuse of authority by the elites and politicization of institutions are the primary reasons for this deterioration. The bureaucracy is now split in pro Zia, pro PML-N, pro PPP and pro Musharraf segments – a really sad deteriorating factor.
Secondly, not enough attention was paid to some areas. Baluchistan, FATA region, (which has now been merged into entire KPK) or Gilgit Baltistan – were all neglected. The political leadership failed to focus on these neglected regions, which means weakening of the bonds and creating space for discontent.
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Cumulative consequence of military intervention?
It is difficult to attribute the decline to military interventions only. I think everybody has contributed the most. The military system i.e. the martial law is not the answer. They come in for a while and then they don’t know what to do. Then they basically try to hire politicians with dubious reputation and get misled. And then eventually they’re forced to go in for elections. Abut we had the full five-year PPP and PML-N governments, and quite honestly, they made a real mess of things both politically and economically.
Democracy demands responsibility and integrity
Democracy doesn’t mean just getting elected. The objective of democracy is to ensure that you serve the people and their interests. And this has not happened in Pakistan. Politicians eventually only serve their own political and economic interests. And hence few families have become multi-billionaires. This lack of commitment and integrity basically stems from an elite that comprises feudal lords, business tycoons and adventuring generals. This elite has let down this country very badly. Elite is utterly responsible for letting us down, and that includes people like me. I’m one of the first one to say it that I think we didn’t measure it up to our responsibilities and commitment to the country.
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Dangerous neighborhood
Another contributory factor to Pakistan’s instability has been very complicated relationships in a very dangerous neighborhood. India is the most pronounced example; it is defined by lot of commonalities and divergences. When you are in India and if you are a Muslim, you are made to feel that you are different or you are not at par with them. It is actually much worse today. Today it has actually surfaced. Unlike Gandhi’s and Nehru’s idealism, the real India has now surfaced in a much more pronounced way. The present BJP-led government represents the true face of India, I would say.
Relations with India
Sadly, as of now, there is no evidence that India, Pakistan relationship may get better. We are trying and we should not give up. Hopefully one day things will change.
Relations with China
Since the legendary Chairman Mao and premier Chou En Lai, all Chinese leaders have consistently helped Pakistan. And the more important thing is that they never twisted our arm, unlike some other major countries. That is the difference between a relationship with China and that with others.
And I think through the CPEC we have new opportunities. It is not something that the Chinese have imposed on us. CPEC is clearly a great opportunity for Pakistan and I think, it’s the responsibility not only the leadership but the population to make it succeed. Therefore, I see a great future for Pakistan.
Non-Prioritization of education
The education system for public is in a mess. You have the schools that are for the elite. Their graduates end up in going abroad, either the United States or Europe or England or Australia to find better opportunities and almost 80 or 90% of them don’t come back because the parents feel that they will be better off. Nobody has prioritized the education for masses.
Clearly, it is not the number of tanks or nukes you have. Survival and progress depends on how you are preparing your people and whether transforming your human resource into an asset. Because if we don’t invest in our human resource, it can also become a huge liability for us. India has fast become an education-based society because their rulers prioritized education as the key to progress.
Elites settling down abroad
Another contributing factor may that a lot of people in positions of power – whether the military or civilian – opt to stay back after retirement in the United States or Europe. At least I did not go that way. I was offered a fabulous job by some American company to work in China six months before retirement but I refused that and returned to Pakistan. I didn’t take any job thereafter. Because if I had continued for another five years, I would only have created bad blood among those aspiring to make it to the top.
Is at all doom and gloom?
I am optimistic about this country and have great faith in the younger generation. May be my generation failed. We are struggling today to give hope to the teeming millions of young Pakistanis. We are trying create an environment of peace in the region. I hope we succeed because we are not a poor country. Our focus has to be on improving governance, vitalizing the agricultural, controlling the expanding population and containing the degradation of the environment.
