Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD.

Emerging naïve religious activism, daily sectarian bloodbaths and curfews depict lawlessness, degeneration and favorite perversion of the divided consciousness overwhelmed with sadism of underdeveloped sense of national unity and purpose. The Pakistani nation faces a crisis of identity and failed to understand who there were and where the history has pushed them to be? The political monsters called leaders with borrowed time and paid ballot boxes follow a foreign propelled agenda as pawns being used on a foreign dictated chess board to determine the future of Pakistan in chaos and more deaths, destruction of everything viewed as holistic and valuable. Pakistanis need no distance to travel searching for more enemies, they need to see the mirror, the enemies are within, not elsewhere. When people live in darkness for too long, they lose sense of rational thinking and direction. All and everything is fighting for survival of the fittest. No wonder, why educated and intellectually informed and conscientious Pakistan find no place to stand on their own in the political culture and reclaim lost human dignity and self respect as members of a valued Nation. The Law of Nature points out if you are respected within your family, you will be seen with dignity outside too. Are there any intelligent people left in the body of the nation to sort out what went wrong and why and how to change it into something normal and politically workable? Do contending sectarianism and widely pouring bloodshed of the innocent people make Pakistanis a better nation or a nation at the top of the cliff?

Pakistani nation was born out of crises and is no stranger to life-threatening self-generated crises of catastrophic consequences even to dismantle half of the country in 1971. Those who envisioned the evolution of a new Muslim nation out of the British colonial India, surely had political imagination – how to progressively move into the future for a promising new beginning of nationhood. But those who followed the pioneering leaders of new Pakistan had scheme of ‘backdoors” intrigues-run politics to ensure the hegemonic control of the few families over the entrenched political powerhouse. These few dreamed of ever lasting political discourse and glory as kings and queens of the neo-colonial dominated Pakistan – the sadistic and terribly naïve and uneducated feudal lords and their accomplice disrupted few military Generals - the egomaniacs also served as a discrete portal for political criminal gangs to undermine the much acclaimed freedom of the Muslim nation and its sustainable future. Their planned darkness viewed the people- the citizens of Pakistan as immature children and common folks acted like innocent children supporting the neo-colonial class domination leading to collapsed integrity of Pakistan, readily shrouded with bloodshed, hatred, fear and societal collapse in all directions of Pakistani political culture. For over six decades, the world has gone through superb changes and adaptability to a better future-making but Pakistan and its people continue to breathe air in conflicting time zones unable to recap their own identity on a road of moral and intellectual darkness with no immediate end insight. It happened as the naïve rulers wanted to keep the masses in a box of ignorance locked-up for long time to come. Suspicious and paranoid as they might appear to be, Pakistani people still have no idea where they are and what direction are they heading to? In conventional wisdom, all strategic planners emphasize that we must know where we are in order to go somewhere or to move in a right direction.

The ruling elite in Pakistani politics is well protected, fattish and flourishing in highly advanced culture of peace and tranquility, good weekends, no curfews, no high rising cost of wheat flour, honey, eggs and butter are readily available and no restrictions of movement and assured freedom for all the times to come. Who does not want to live in Islamabad or in a new emerging colony of senior executives and top officials daily occupied in dance and drinking of all and everything conveniently imported from London and Washington? They see the agitating and shouting people as serious challenge to their enshrined happiness and higher standards of living- where all fair is foul - all foul is fair. The egomaniac elite enjoy the sensation of power as if there is nothing wrong when all is on fire.

How should the global community view the emerging Pakistani political democracy of the few full of conspiracies of power and corruption of crime riddled leaders for over half a century? They are a failure on all the major frontlines of global political affairs. The bogus war On Terrorism has harvested so many new political agents out of the nowhere labels of parties and the few Generals who blame General Musharaf to try him alone for treason of the Constitution would be unfair and ridiculous or simply put one-sided immoral episode. What happened to the Islamic foundation and values of Pakistan? Were the Bhuttos, Zardari, Sharif and other Generals not equally responsible for the moral and political demise of the nation? History shall judge them by their actions, not by claims. They were all naïve, opportunists and clearly worst enemies of Pakistan and its people. It is just that complacent groups avoid seeing the history as is. Learning from history is tough to many egoistic politicians. Every new political ruler attempts to carve and paint a new picture of purity and righteousness as if they are stranger to inept politics and institutionalized corruption and treachery to the interests of the nation. Pakistanis know well all politics is corrupt and filthy. None seem to know and understand the meaning and spirit of democracy but all claims to be leading the democracy. Leaders manage the crisis when facts of life warrant change and adaptability to the future. Often crisis unity people of reason but not in the context of Pakistani politics. Notwithstanding the requisites of reason and honesty, many Pakistani politicians are paid cash by the Master and are collaborating with the US-led warmongering against many Muslim nations. Time will tell how some of these so called political traders and traitors called leaders deserve the wrath of God for supporting the bogus War on Terrorism. There are no public institutions of thinking for a navigational change and no leaders to lead the besieged nation out of the political chaos and mismanagement except individualistic absolutism performing at the theatre of absurdity. One wonders, why the earth never felt any weight of the contemporary Pakistani politicians. In a recent article, Andrew Gavin Marshall (“Imperial Eye on Pakistan- Pakistan in Pieces, Part 1 - Global Research: 5/30/2011) attempts to point out how the Us policy is shifting to see Pakistan go down in few years.

“America has, in recent years, altered its strategy in Pakistan in the direction of destabilization. In short, Pakistan is an American target. The reason: Pakistan’s growing military and strategic ties to China, America’s primary global strategic rival. In the ‘Great Game’ for global hegemony, any country that impedes America’s world primacy – even one as historically significant to America as Pakistan – may be sacrificed upon the altar of war………. Pakistan will very likely continue to be destabilized and ultimately collapse. What is not mentioned in these assessments, however, is the role of the military and intelligence communities in making this a reality; a veritable self-fulfilling prophecy.”

In view of the unstoppable cycle of political killings and daily bloodbaths across Pakistani towns and poor neighborhoods, it is becoming evident that Pakistani rulers and the masses live and breathe in conflicting time zones and are being unable to see the rationality of people-oriented Islamic governance, the worst is yet to come, surrender to foreign forces as there are no leaders to think of the future. Are the foreign dictated rulers and their armies - the known killers - the only task they are accustomed to do? Borrowed weapons and corrupt and failed rulers do not extend moral or intellectual security. The question is how to decode treachery, greed, incompetence and dead conscience to tell the world - the real story of the Pakistani growing democracy managed by dead Bhuttos, few Generals and now left-over Sharif to do the rest. The embittered and treacherous politics of the few lacking moral and intellectual leadership and legitimacy gives people a terrible sense of helplessness with frightening consequences of their past complacency and resulting futuristic viciousness- yet to come for a complete breakdown of all that was precious and valuable to a common Pakistani. More and more a nation lost with moral and spiritual power of unity find itself stranglehold by its inner generated conflicts of dark mindset and perverted priorities. What about situations where all is deliberately ruptured by insanity of the few, shattered apart, disintegrated to enrich few cruel monsters into extended governance - that is contemporary Pakistan? How to change the worst into best?

In a knowledge-driven 21st century global culture of change and human development and given the abundant resources of Pakistani’s educated classes enriched with forward looking visions, intellects and zeal, lot of ills can be diagnosed into workable solutions only if people with proactive thinking and dedicated energies were engaged in an organized scheme of things to pursue such vital national priorities. Critical issues demand urgent care and cure, not national curse to those who claim to be the political linchpin of the country. Many divides exist between what is said officially by the crime- riddled administration of the few and what the thinking masses experience in daily despairs, social, economic misfortunes and political horrors, street bloodbaths and foreign drone attacks, killing of the civilians, non-productive commerce and trade, nothing moves in any rational direction to make their survival come true - a gruesome portrayal of so called democracy at work. The in-house tragedy of vices and ruins so apparent, rather than finding solutions within the political activism, they continue to blame others. The truth is that enemies are within and actively engaged with lot money and weapons poured-in externally at warehouses for continuing bloody sectarian massacres and encouraging more deaths and destructions of life, freedom, commerce and all that could be imagined as relevant and important for survival. For sure, if Allama Iqbal, Mohammad Ali Jinnah-Qauid E- Azam and Liaqaut Ali Khan were alive, they would have disowned this disdained prevalent Pakistani culture of hatred, fear and vindictiveness.
After more than half of a century of continuous failure and disintegrated political culture, Pakistani nation must realize the political triviality and viciousness contributed by ZA Bhutto, Ms. Bhutto, Zardari, Sharif and Musharaf and opt out of the terrible sense of helplessness and imposed insanity of the few. Foreigners will not come to help Pakistan in crises but try to capitalize to crush its will and spirit to survive, their plans are working for long time to disintegrate Pakistan. Andrew Gavin Marshall “Imperial Eye on Pakistan- Pakistan in Pieces, Part 1 (Global Research: 5/30/2011) states that “in December of 2000, the CIA released a report of global trends to the year 2015, which stated that by 2015,

“The war in Afghanistan is inherently related to the situation in Pakistan……….Pakistan will be more fractious, isolated, and dependent on international financial assistance.”[1] Further, it was predicted, Pakistan:

Will not recover easily from decades of political and economic mismanagement, divisive politics, lawlessness, corruption and ethnic friction. Nascent democratic reforms will produce little change in the face of opposition from an entrenched political elite and radical Islamic parties.”

In “Pakistan: Political Curse Needs Urgent Cure” 2/15/2012), this author attempted to offer the following assessment and shared grave concern for the future of Pakistan’s freedom, unity of the people and integrity and search for a sustainable future:
The Pakistani nation must see the mirror – look at itself straight, candidly and with fullest sense of responsibility: who they were, where they are and where they are heading to - or the Nation stands no chance for the recourse or coming out of the deadly political stunts of the few, time killing legal battles and the historical graveyards. If the nation was not complacent in all of these sadistic misfortunes, the Generals, Bhuttos, Zardaris and Sharifs would have never had opportunities to molestation of the moral, intellectual and spiritual culture and values of Islamic Pakistan.

Sharif has proven to be indifferent and incapable to change the corrupt political culture of which he is an integral part. If he had self- respect and consciousness of his own strength and weaknesses, he would not be assuming the office of Prime Minister. There is nothing common between the two entities. The public elections brought no positive outlook at the working of the national assembly to foster any change. Insane sectarianism rages and cruelty of violence is robbing the life and commerce of the nation. Pakistan desperately needs morally and intellectually enriched people of new generation with passion and commitment to change and reformation, social harmony and New Ideas, creative foresight and moral strength to prepare the Nation for a New Beginning and workable solutions away from the corrupt political and military absolute authoritarianism. Pakistan needs a navigational change out of the sadistic political culture but there is no political system to facilitate durable political change on its own in a peaceful manner. Another military take over will not solve any problems but create more. The optimism for change and reshaping ANEW Pakistan rests with the new educated and intelligent young generation of Pakistanis. All segments of educated, informed and conscientious Pakistanis have genuine interests and should feel priority to rebuild a strong foundation for the unity of the nation. The strength and forces of unity rest with Islam as a powerful and unifying force of One Ummah for change and sustainable development of the future of Pakistan.

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(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including the latest: Global Peace and Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of New Thinking. Lambert Publishing Germany, May 2012).