Round The World
New Delhi, 12 May 2023
Pakistan’s Story
AN ANALYTICAL PERSPECTIVE
By Dr. D. K. Giri
(Secretary General, Assn. For Democratic
Socialism)
The dramatic arrest of 70-year-old Imran Khan, the former
Prime Minister of Pakistan has plunged the hapless country into a civil war.
Imran Khan was by far the most popular cricketer and leader on many counts, his
marriage to Jemima Khan, the daughter of media tycoon James Goldsmith, and his
own aristocratic background. However, the arrest was on the cards as is typical
of Pakistan politics of revenge. When the friends or allies fall out, like the
English playwright William Congreve (1670-1729) put it, “Heaven has no rage
like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like women scorned.”
One is referring to no love lost between Imran Khan and the
Army which propped him to position of the Prime Minister in the first place. It
has not been clearly revealed yet why they fell out. The jury is still out on
it. May be, Imran Khan was overshadowing General Qamar Javed Bajwa in
international fora, or the Americans found Khan too hot to handle, as Imran
himself alluded. Be that as it may, for the first time in Pakistani politics,
the civilians and the Army are at daggers drawn, civilians arsoning the
military houses and establishment. One is absolutely unsure where will all this
lead to?
Before analysing the Pakistan politics, the structural anomalies,
let us have a brief look at the run up to the arrest. Imran Khan was charged
with series of corruption, including laundering money to Al Qaeda through his
third wife. Arrest warrants were issued. Khan was evading. Finally he was
picked up from the court premises in Islamabad. Along with him his key
supporters have been picked up. The 13-member ruling coalition seems to be
elated with the development as in the event of Imran Khan being disqualified
for life, his prospect of coming back to power is nil, whereas they should
support Khan in his battle against the all-powerful anti-democratic military.
This leads us to the structural problems of Pakistani politics which are derailing
the country and have brought it to such an impasse.
Pakistan politics stands on three legs, that is why it
remains ever unsteady. These are Islam (religion), the Army, and Kashmir. These
three determinants of both domestic and foreign policy have proved direly
detrimental to Pakistan’s economic growth and democratic development. Let us
take the first pillar, religion. The basis of creation of Pakistan by
separating from India was the religion. It was a wrong premise. India was and
is a multicultural country with variations within each attribute – language,
religion, caste, ethnicity, and so on. What one means is, if Pakistan were an
Islamic state, why did East Pakistan (Bangladesh) break away from it? It did
because, although they were Muslims they are like Bengalis in their language,
food and clothing, etc. Further, the cultural division between various groups
like Punjabis, Sindhis, Baluch, Pakhtoons are not yet resolved and are under
constant threat of break up.
The second leg is the Army. Pakistan is called a hybrid
democracy as the power alters between the Army and the civilian administration.
In fact, to be more precise, the Army has remote controlled the civil
administration. Since 1947, when Pakistan was created, the Army has directly
taken over thrice by staging coups. Worse than that, having taken over, it has
physically eliminated the political rivals or made them flee the country. Army
officials have minted money through foreign aid mainly from the US promising
support to fight the Mujahideens and then the Taliban. On the contrary, the
Army has used that money to sponsor terrorism in India. It double crossed even
USA by sheltering Osama Bin Laden in their army barracks. Thanks to American
intelligence agency, it took them ages to find out Pakistan’s duplicity. Only
Donald Trump spoke candidly that Islamabad was hoodwinking the US leadership.
The third pillar is Kashmir. Here again, Pakistan is caught
in a perennial bind. All their national and international politics is driven by
their obsession with Kashmir. The division of Kashmir is a historical fact
which must be accepted. If it was not for a moral posture taken by Pandit Nehru,
even the PoK should have been with India. Be that as it may for now as no one
can predict the future. But the moot point is Pakistan continuing to claim
Kashmir as it is a Muslim majority state is ludicrous. If that is the logic,
why could they not hold on to East Pakistan which was a Muslim region? The
division of India in 1947 had certain protocols and formulae. Kashmir decided
to accede to India, and that is it.
Pakistan’s Kashmir obsession is ruining its politics and
economy. Islamabad was using the US support to engineer terrorist violence in
India and now it has become a satellite state of China. Many observers have
pointed out that embracing China is like a bear hug. Countries tapping China’s
so-called surplus money as once Nepalese Ambassador to India hinted “is
inviting oneself into a debt trap and then bankruptcy”. Sri Lanka is a case in
point. At the same time, as like same poles repel each other, how long the
Chinese political autocracy and Pakistan’s military authoritarianism could
co-habit is a question to ponder.
Finally, Pakistani democracy is elitist, it has to be made
mass based. Then all Pakistani stakeholders –political, business, civil
society, professionals, should have a nation-wide debate including a referendum
on their top political priorities; if necessary, with international
supervision. New Delhi could give a hand in helping Pakistan stabilize, with
only one precondition that Pakistani Army should stop terrorism in India.
Dismemberment of any country is in nobody’s interest beside humanitarian risks.
Pakistan should not reach the brink. The drift must be arrested.
Given Indian tradition of good neighborliness New Delhi should
open a back-channel diplomatic intervention. Both countries should forget that
anti-India or anti-Pakistan rhetoric gives them political dividends. That is
political brinkmanship. What we require in current troubled times across the
world is statesmanship. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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