THREE
recent global surveys are harbingers of bad news for Pakistan. They should
compel us to think of what the future holds in store for us if we do not quickly
set our qibla in the right direction. Foreign Policy magazine’s survey ranks
Pakistan as the 10th most failed state among the 177 countries of the world,
just behind the likes of Afghanistan, Sudan, Chad and Zimbabwe, but worse than
Burma and Nepal. By contrast, India (87th) is happily placed in the midway house
of “second world” states that are gearing up to challenge the “first world” in
many ways. -- Najam
Sethi
By Najam Sethi
June
25th, 2010
THREE
recent global surveys are harbingers of bad news for Pakistan. They should
compel us to think of what the future holds in store for us if we do not quickly
set our qibla in the right direction.
Foreign
Policy magazine’s survey ranks Pakistan as the 10th most failed state among the
177 countries of the world, just behind the likes of Afghanistan, Sudan, Chad
and Zimbabwe, but worse than Burma and Nepal. By contrast, India ( 87th) is
happily placed in the midway house of “ second world” states that are gearing up
to challenge the “ first world” in many ways.
The
report notes Pakistan’s description as the “most dangerous place in the world”
and adds that “ President Asif Ali Zardari’s democratically elected government
looks hapless— unable to gain any measure of civilian control over a nuclear-
armed military… or an intelligence service that stands accused of abetting the
Afghan Taliban”. More ominously, the report concludes that “ the indicator for
external intervention has worsened since 2008” and America has become the
largest donor of economic and military aid to the country even as its drones
routinely attack Taliban- Al Qaeda targets in Pakistan’s tribal
areas.
A survey
by the BBC in April lends support to some of these conclusions. 23 out of 27
countries surveyed gave Pakistan a negative ranking— the anti- Pakistan average
is 51 per cent in all the 27 countries.
Interestingly, Iran and Israel are in the same negative category as
Pakistan.
But,
significantly, only one third of the countries surveyed have a negative opinion
about India! A third survey of 22 countries by Pew Research also arrives at
disturbing conclusions about Pakistan. Despite being a major recipient of US
aid, only 17 per cent Pakistanis had a favourable view of America. Indeed, 65
per cent think the US is a potential military threat to Pakistan! In sharp
contrast, over 66 per cent of Indians, whose country trades with the US but
receives no aid, had a favourable opinion of America! If the world is generally
unhappy about Pakistan, it is also noticeable that Pakistanis are increasingly
unhappy about their own state of affairs. In 2003, 67 per cent were dissatisfied
by the direction their country was taking under President General Pervez
Musharraf.
But
after the economy picked up and prospects of peace with India brightened, only
39 per cent were still unhappy in 2005.
However,
the subsequent economic and political crisis has put paid to that feel good
factor. In 2010, nearly 84 per cent of Pakistanis were unhappy about the state
of their country and nearly 90 per cent of these attributed its ill- fortune to
the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. Worse, only a minority of 19 per
cent think their economic situation will improve in the future. This is a
telling sign. By contrast, over 64 per cent of all Indians have a rosy picture
of their future and 85 per cent think their elected government is handling the
economy fairly well.
PAKISTAN
is also out of step with the world as far as perceptions of Iran are
concerned.
Most
countries, including Muslim- majority ones, disapprove of Iran’s president, its
regime and nuclear weapons programme and support sanctions to bring it into
line. But 72 per cent of Pakistanis give a thumbs- up to Iran on all counts! The
only good news to emerge from these surveys is that 80 per cent of Pakistanis
disapprove of suicide bombings.
Support
for Osama Bin Laden has, thankfully, dropped from 46 per cent in 2003 to only 18
per cent in 2010. But there is still not sufficient realisation of how extremism
is hurting the country at home and abroad— only 37 per cent are “ very
concerned” about extremism at home! The biggest delusion is that as many as 40
per cent still think that their country is “generally liked” abroad whereas the
truth is quite the opposite as all the surveys
demonstrate.
What
lessons should Pakistan draw from these facts if it is to avoid being pushed
over the edge as a failed state? First, religious extremism at home or in the
neighbourhood must be resisted with the might of the state instead of being
nurtured by it for whatever goals. We have seen the bloody consequences of
believing that America’s Taliban enemy is our friend— our armed forces are now
enmeshed in a guerilla war in the northwest and our mosques and bazaars and
police stations are routinely bombed.
Second,
we must build peace in the neighbourhood instead of fomenting trouble in it
through non- state actors.
We have
seen the consequences of it in the dismemberment of our country and the
progressive impoverishment of Pakistanis at the altar of an arms race in the
sub- continent.
Third,
we must put our house in order on the basis of good governance— law and order,
accountability, economic policy continuity and quick justice for all— whose
dismal indices make us a failed state. Politicians, bureaucrats, journalists and
judges must work in tandem for the public good instead of tearing one another
apart for personal or even institutional gain.
Finally,
civil society must tame the military and redefine “national interest” as being
much more than the military’s narrow institutional interest. The military should
belong to Pakistan instead of Pakistan belonging to the
military.
This is
the way for a safe, successful and viable state of the modern
world.
The writer is Editor, The Friday Times,
Pakistan
Source: Mail Today
9:27 PM
Sultan Shahin
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