It was year 1950 perhaps month of March when I looked at the headlines of leading paper of country it was disturbing news “Pakistan Khatray main hai”. Now it is 2019 after 69 years nothing has changed. But along with it good things like water, shortage of gas, power, jobs, security, rule of law, road discipline, encroachments, love with neighbours, municipalities doing well, streets used to be clean, good primary and high schools, no issue of admission of children right up to university, no politicking in school, colleges, no cheating in exams, respect for teachers, no ethnic divide, no carrying of weapons, rare incidents of fighting, robberies, dacoities, non existence of street crimes, free distribution of powder milk in schools under arrangements of UNICEF, proper benches, clean toilets, facility of drinking water in schools etc have evaporated and these things gradually started disappearing and have been turned in to election slogans of all the political parties.
72 years of existence with all the modern gadgets, toolsand machinery with much more resources the situation is not bad but worst and 80 percent population virtually crying to get basic facilities even clean drinking water is not available. Unfortunately we have now motorways, high rise buildings and palatial houses, integrated security system but majority of the population is without basic facilities which is mandatory for any government to provide to its citizens and is guaranteed in the constitution of Pakistan whether the ruler was a dictator or civilian dictator under the garb of democracy, people are seen protesting against the government throughout Pakistan just to get their basic rights.
Present day hospitals are converted in to 5 star hotel like facilities where only rich can step in but for ordinary citizens he has to line up in government hospital for hours to get a strip of paracetamol or Panadol. There is total collapse of all the institutions, people are frustrated even with the present government that has given more miseries rather than providing some sort of reliefs.
We talk so much of the democracy that people have lost faith and looking for some better system. In Pakistan democracy has been used as a tool to come to power and no sooner we get the power become absolute dictator where loot and plunder becomes order of the day where crime has no meaning. Rulers flout the law of land on daily basis without even having fear of God. What is happening today in our country has disappointed common man and they feel we are heading towards a failed state, once it happens there will be no come back as the nation already stands divided even on national issues.
The definition of a failed state is a political body that has disintegrated to a point where basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government no longer function properly. When nations standard of living declines, richer getting richer, poor getting poorer, law is applied to poor only it brings the possibility of governmental collapse. If contrasted with the situation in Pakistan, on the most superficial level, one can declare that Pakistan is a failed state. But if we were to look at the state with a more microscopic lense, we realize that though the state machinery is flawed, rule of law is applied selectively it is not yet disintegrated, situation can be controlled. Though there have been three military take overs, even then the democratic nature of the state is coming back but slowly.
The problem, therefore, lies in the political and civilian institutions that lack capacity and competence. While the military takes the blame for this, civilian institutions always legitimize the coups. The Pakistani Supreme Court has been validating the coup and the dictators’ orders. The military leader invariably creates a “King’s Party,” by co-opting the most self-serving politicians who are lined up to avail this opportunity and put personal interest over principle. In nut shell they get elected which produces a weak parliament which takes dictation from military leader.However after the ouster of Gen Parvez Musharraf things have changed the Supreme Court is no longer the same and has become an activist institution, but the politicians are not happy with such activism as the politicians, military thought they are untouchables. This is first time that establishment and government is at one page perhaps to save the country from total collapse. The things are changing but not being managed properly. The nexus of two parties has been broken, as we find Imran Khan as the new elected Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Pakistan has problems from west and east, a bleeding economy, high cost of business affecting our exports, prices sky high, threat of fundamentalism, political instability, internal disunity, opposition government confrontation and thin majority of ruling party speak volume of insecurity. With all these indicators Pakistan is certainly heading towards “failing” rather than a failed state. It is time to control the situation before it gets too late and that would be harmful for the country.
In the words of Barak Obama former President of US he said” In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it” We can also change it let us join hands together.