Core Issue and Solution

[Lady]

Hi all,

I have a question here and the answer to which, i know for sure, is not easy or short.. but still i would like to put up this question to the and like to take your views on it from different perspectives and examples from different aspects.

The question is that

What is the root cause of the present sorry condition of our Country? Did it originate due to hasty and thoughtless demarcation of boundaries at the time of partition or it dates back to the Mughal era? and now after all this havoc has been created, where should we from in order to fix these issues?


thank you!

P.S. Oops! just after writing it i've realized that it is more than one question but they all are interrelated and to get the complete picture we need to know the answer to all of them..

[maliasghar]

The root cause may vary when the problem is viewed from different angles. Scholars, experts, leaders and people would prioritize them differently according to their perceptions. But here are the few very broad areas, currently afflicting Pakistan, without going into the history of what went wrong and where did we go wrong. Because the country as we have today is there to stay and we can't do any thing about the past:
- Low literacy and awareness, which translates into low economic productivity and bad political choices/preferences of populace.
- A segregation of society into elite (feudal, business, military, bureaucratic) sections and the deprived. The increasing disparity between these two sections.
- Ideologically motivated policies - foreign, security, economic and political. We tend to shy aware from pragmatism and try to enliven make believe idealism.
- Failure to see the benefits of pluralism and a Pakistani identity based on multiculturalism. Instead we delve into parochial ethnic and regional identities.

[evez]

well im not going to discuss mughal era but want to highlight the root causes of current scenario that emerged just after independence. It includes social,political,religious and economical crises.All these factors that im mentioning below ultimately created hatred and mistrust among poeple and with government.
What is the root cause of the present sorry condition of our Country?
1:political instability( martial laws)
2:religious issues ( riots between sunni and shia etc)
3:decline of education standard
4:economical crisis (water problem,financial and industrial assets were usurped forcibly after independence and IDPs etc)
5: war and terrorism
6: corruption(lack of accountability and discriminative behavior of government)
7: Inequality of distribution of assets(2/3 of country's industrial assets are controlled by 22 families)

WE can see the results in form of inflation, poverty, extremism,precarious law and order conditions,unemployment,increase in crimes, energy crisis etc

now let me explain why i put political instability at the top coz policy making is in the hands of government. A stable government is must to formulate stable policies in long run. These policies automatically raise the education level and social status. Secondly religious issues create hatred among nation which hinder peace.

[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.

[lifemysterious786]

One thing that can cover all deficiencies "Consciousness".

It must be religious and so civic. We cannot claim even one Muslim country as civilized. Hot temperament, emotionalism, intolerant behavior and selfishness are pushing us towards the worst. Historians while narrating reasons of Muslim success in India pointed out three characteristic virtues given by Islam as their cause of success, which no other religion has inspired;

1- Complete equality and social solidarity, as regards legal status.
2- Absolute reliance on God.
3- Freedom from Wine.

We are Muslims but skepticism(Indifference towards religion), materialism and hedonism has crept in to our souls. Education or economic prosperity alone cannot eradicate such menace, these may only increase materialism. Religious consciousness only can achieve above mentioned gigantic codes of conduct.

[yasirqureshi]

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.

I believe that digging out the causes of crisis in the past won't augur well to fix anything in the present. We should at most go in the recent past and see where we had gone wrong. I can list down certain causes and averting them should be treated as remedies.

1. Toppling of democracy.
2. Borrowing foreign assistance on exploitative conditionalities.
3. Meagre industrilization.
4. Weak educational system.
5. Absence of rule of law.
6. Un-representative rule even when elected ones reigned.
7. Alliance with the West, especially with US.
8. Ignoring the potential of making ties with Muslim world.

I hope it answers the question.

[Xeric]

Originally Posted by Lady

The question is that

What is the root cause of the present sorry condition of our Country? Did it originate due to hasty and thoughtless demarcation of boundaries at the time of partition or it dates back to the Mughal era? and now after all this havoc has been created, where should we from in order to fix these issues?

Yes, hasty and partial demarcation based on sheer injustice to favor Indians by British Govt is also an important reason of our petty state. Kashmir Issue and rivalry between India and Pakistan of 6 decades diverted our attention to focus on development of the country. All of our resources are spent on defense and other problems created due to Kashmir Issue. Water issue is also due to Kashmir otherwise we would have plenty of water and energy.

Just imagine if both India and Pakistan spend their defense budget on common welfare and civilian development projects then the scenario will be changed and the region will witness economic development and change in the lifestyle of common people. Reckless nuclear arms race has adversely affected the economy of both the regions. Both have received collateral damage.

But despite above mentioned drawback India is ahead of Pakistan in development which can be attributed to uninterpretable democratic process in India and accountability without any discrimination. There are more than 300 languages, dozens of ethnic groups and religions but they tried to unify their country whereas we have population of 95% Muslims and around 5 to 8 ethnic groups but never achieved unity.

I think creation of more province to shift center of power from one province will help to achieve unity and remove dissension among other ethnic groups will help. Secondly, democratic process should not be derailed, there should be rule of law in the country, Pakistan should not be used as tool for others in the region and focus internal prosperity, equal distribution of resources, transparent election and accountability process and revising Afghan policy can change the fate of Pakistan.