Fulminating rhetoric?

It may appear repetitive or perhaps monotonous, to comment on Pakistan’s ongoing political and economic crisis which makes the 75-year-old country on the brink of a near collapse. The economic woes being faced by Pakistan are largely its own creation and even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) seem reluctant to bail the country out from the economic meltdown.

Amid these developments, in-house criticism of Pakistan’s political and economic policies is being glaringly highlighted by scholars and analysts. In a recent write-up in a prominent Pakistani daily, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, a well-known physicist, has come down heavily on the homegrown elite of Pakistan who not only circumvent the Pakistani laws but also show scant respect for the polity and the general people. Elaborating on his point of view, Dr Hoodbhoy states that in cultured societies, elites take delight in scientific and academic matters. They endow universities with chairs and professorships and institutions bearing their names immortalize the donors. Named after JRD Tata, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is the proud flagship of Indian science. But one can fruitlessly scour all of Pakistan for someone who will donate to science or arts. As for music, famed Pakistani ghazal singers like the late Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali received more appreciation in India than in Pakistan. Philanthropy in Pakistan means donating to Madrassas, mosques, and hospitals. Blaming the neo-rich, he goes on to allege that some Pakistanis are rich because they are thugs, land grabbers, manipulators, and rent-seekers.

Forbes (2023) identifies the five richest Americans: Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Elon Musk (Tesla), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Larry Ellison (Oracle), and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta). While rich Indians are not highly innovative, they too are quite technological. Forbes has already identified the five richest Indians. No wealthy Pakistani with businesses in the country has made it to the Forbes list yet reportedly the five richest are Mian Mansha, Sadruddin Hashwani, Asif Ali Zardari, Malik Riaz and Habibullah Khan. How they made their billions is not clear. But what exportable items have they produced? Will Pakistan forever rely on bedlinen, underwear, and footballs to earn dollars? Bringing Indian examples by a member of the Pakistani (minority community Hoodbhoy who is thought to be a Parsi and from the academia) exhibits that the society has become so fragile and vulnerable that critics are giving vent to their expressions, even going to the extent of bringing in Indian illustrations ignoring the likely criticism by India bashers in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, continuing blistering attacks on Pakistan’s establishment, certain academics blame Pakistan, insinuating that without Pakistan’s help, the Taliban monster and terrorism would not have existed. Also, blame is placed on the Pakistanis security and intelligence agencies for facilitating the creation of an enormous countrywide network of Jihadist outfits designed at installing fanatical forces in Kabul and “liberating” Kashmir. Only for the intervention by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the dreaded Lashkar terrorist, Hafeez Syed would still be roaming around freely instead of being lodged in a Pakistani prison.

More importantly, the hard-hitting critics are holding Pakistan responsible for its inability to live peacefully with its neighbours as well as with itself. In the 1990s, critics stated with objectivity that the federal national curriculum required sixth-class students to know about India’s “evil designs” against Pakistan and to deliver speeches on Jihad. According to Dr Hoodbhoy, how quiet the LoC is these days and the unusually low level of vitriol from Indian leaders! From their point of view: “why spoil the fun? Just wait and watch as the unforgiving, amoral law of gravity asserts itself. Pakistan doesn’t need an external enemy for collapse; its civil and military elites have hollowed out their own house”.

Any criticism or appreciation of Pakistan is never complete without involving India in its body politic. In a rather surprising move, during the course of battling the severe economic crisis, PM Shebhaz Sharif asked the Indian PM, Narendra Modi, to hold what he described as serious and sincere talks to resolve all the outstanding issues including Kashmir. He, however, did not refrain from harping on the old tune of revoking the abrogation of Article 370 in restoring the status quo in Kashmir. His overtures are seen as extending an Olive branch to India as the domestic scene in Pakistan is getting out of hand and there is a general feeling that the country is not only drifting towards an economic abyss but also unable to address the foreign policy in true letter and spirit. Possibly, the Pakistani PM is offering this gesture to calm his critics and bring in some semblance to Pakistani politics in order to restore credibility in the minds of the people. On its part, India has responded in a positive tenor by extending an invitation to Pakistan to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) expected in India this year. However, given the past uncertainty of Pakistan in dilly-dallying its promises, only the future will tell us how sincere the Pakistani government is in its peace overtures to India. Such steps to reach out to India are the outcome when Pakistan is on a very weak foot, both politically and economically. Till such time, Pakistan continues to grapple with its insurmountable problems.

The writer is a retired IPS officer, a security analyst and a former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Mauritius. Views expressed are personal