Originally Posted by aphrodite

The root causes in my opinion are not martial laws, or corruption, or lack of education or democracy, nor is it a rigid class structure. These are all issues 'created' by even more fundamental problems.
We have made certain mistakes, some knowingly, and some I guess one couldnt help at the time.
1. In economy, we should have stuck to our early policy until 1968 of nurturing our own industries and limiting imports through various instruments. We were doing well when we tried to develop the industrial machinery sector, going parallel to USSR, cuz that wouldve modernized our own industries instead of depending solely on agriculture and we wouldnt have been dependent on importing basics when we could hunt our own food. Agriculture only serves as a backbone of a modern industry- only then can a country reap its true benefits. It was when we abandoned the policy and took to heavy, unwarranted imports that we brought havoc upon us. Pakistan wasnt called the "The Asian Tiger' in the Times issue of 1965 for nothing.

2. Demarcation of boundaries was definitely awry that gave us an unnatural geographical territory to call home. This was also a factor in the dismemberment of Pakistan in '71.

3. Most would agree that Jinnah Sb had to concede to feudals and Sardars in the provinces to garner support for a homeland. I cant really say whether this was or wasnt sane because lets face it- did Jinnah have any other alternative? Maybe he thought it best to solve this problem later on after the country was created but he didnt get enough time to do so, nor did he think his successors would be so lethargic and selfish. So yes, feudalism lies at the heart of Pakistan and its cronies have clung onto its reigns tight. This wouldnt have been a problem had they also worked a little but a feudal who owned 100 acre of land at partition wanted to own 10000 acre and from there the power-brokering went on.

4. Liaison with USA instead of regional allies like China or USSR. USA has never been a trustworthy ally for anyone- it always ruins its friends. On the other hand, China is a dependable and soon to be a superpower neighbor. Together with USSR, the duo would have checked India's aggression against us as well. When we allied with the dictatorial USA, we had to give up our own decision-making power on every front. Contrary to what many believe is the strength behind India's growth, calculated choices- in terms of economy and its regional alliances- not democracy is what made it. Now when Bhutto came, he tried to change a pro-USA stance and we all know what a horrible example they made out of him. Imagine how important this stance was for Pak.