“What's going to happen?” is the most frequently heard query in any social interface in Pakistan, given the uncertainty surrounding the politico-economic situation in the country, which is further compounded by recurrent devious acts of terrorism. Although the real knowledge of the future and the unknown resides in Almighty’s domain, yet the God gifted ability to join the visible dots and analyse to project a rational outcome is well within the human capacity. ‘The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed’. Nevertheless, the anxiety level in the society is touching new heights despite relaxant administered through speeches and promising narratives by the state. While the usual bureaucratic ‘All OK’ reports seem to work well with the top hierarchy in the helms of affairs, yet, the fact remains that the public at large is highly demoralized and disillusioned with loss of much faith in the otherwise trusted state institutions. The writing on the wall is that one cannot expect to progress by putting the horse before the cart; likewise, it is futile to expect economic and security constancy without a strong and truly unrestricted democratic government that comes into power through free and fair elections. Any compromise on that principle or a short-circuit schemings, which have mostly been the case in the past i.e. haunting memories of 1970/71 and 1977/79, are unlikely to display a ray of hope to the disenchanted public.
The next inquisitive shot one gets in the face is, “oh we know that, but who is going to bell the cat?” This whispering enquiry is indicative of either the public's cynicism or more likely the fear of naming the well-known “who” and the “cat”. It is too obvious to say that the three main pillars of a state or a government i.e. the legislature, judiciary and executive are responsible for ‘belling any cat’. In the present state of affairs in Pakistan, the caretaker government as a whole, judiciary and executive seem partly and to some wholly biased against one political entity. So apart from divine intervention, what and who else can be expected to steer the county out of the vortex? All the same, it is nothing new as the history keeps repeating itself in Pakistan with similar experiments undertaken again and again expecting different results in vain. ‘The Delusional Governance’ with ‘Dangerous Denials’ does not bode well for the stable future of Pakistan. The inertia suffering leadership in all the Muslim countries that constitute OIC has not been able to stop the genocide of Muslims in Palestine and in the illegally Occupied Kashmir and atrocities committed against Muslims in other countries like India, Yemen, Syria, Libya, Iraq and many other African Muslim countries, which has sapped the morale of global Muslim community. Not long ago, Pakistan was looked upon as a strongest Muslim country with most battle hardened Armed Forces and Nuclear Muscles, who could play a significant and leading role beyond lip service to halt such naked aggressions. However, due to the multitude of crises Pakistan has been made to wade through on the internal and external fronts, that status of the state has been visibly undermined.
The ‘Perpetual Regime Failure’ in Pakistan should have given us a clear path to achieve glory in all walks of life as seen in Asian countries like China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. The people must remember that “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog”. Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. The path forward requires bold actions. ‘Like people, like rulers’ is a reality, therefore the people of Pakistan in both collective and individual capacities have to play their due role in electing the best public representatives for the Legislature as a fundamental prerequisite. The Military in cooperation with judiciary will be well advised to play role of an honest umpire (desirably one last time); and enable much preferred holding of free and fair general elections in the country to take place under absolutely apolitical judiciary and Election Commission with all parties and leadership including PTI given equal and fair playing field. Any elections short of that will be seen as farcical with cataclysmic repercussions. Let the hatred, prejudices, grievances and dark past be buried and a fresh and positive start be taken, which ensures a genuine political process for a gradual cleansing. Ensuring ‘Protection of People and the Constitution’ is the laconic message for the Armed Forces and the Superior Judiciary of Pakistan being the most responsible national redeemers and strong pillars of the state. That is considered the finest remedy for restoration of the image as well as faith in all the state institutions, besides for highly desired political and economic stability in Pakistan. The military and national intelligence agencies have their plates full with internal and external security challenges; pre-empting, preventing and defeating those threats ought to be the prime and only focus of the military, leaving the rest to the civil side of the governance. The political elite, judiciary and the civilian component of the executives and other stakeholders are bound to perform well, maybe with a few more stumbles, when given free hands; that shall Insha-Allah pave the way for ‘an Ideal Political System for Pakistan’. The world and even regional experience shows that the more democracy based on honest foundations, the more are the chances of political, economic and security stability. “The wisdom lies in learning from history; and the truth is that you always know the right thing to do. The tough part is doing it.” Pakistan Zindabad!