A sordid story of a country where might is the order of the day

• Will the caretakers manage the economy?
• Frustration creeps into PDM ranks
• No respite for PTI or Khan insight

By Ismaeel Qasim

   Economic mess, political instability and disoriented social fabric — welcome to New Pakistan —  a state where there is uncertainty rules and despondence for the poor creatures is in store.

     ‘Rule of the mighty’ in this once terror struck country has only made the matters worse. Rather than bridging the gaps amongst the institutions, it has further widened them leading to a road where the once occasionally discussed civil-military divide is making headlines every other day.

   Youth that makes the majority of the population of this country is faced with hopelessness and disparity. Resultantly, they are left with no choice but to take a leave and settle elsewhere. After all, who would want to stay in a land where questioning is not allowed and the ones daring to do so are put behind bars.

     Official figures suggest that Year 2021 saw 225,000 people leave the country. The figure jumped and nearly tripled to a staggering 765,000 in 2022. It is feared that this crises will only worsen and rightly so. What else can we expect from the struggling masses?

    To make matters worse, PDM government in its last few days ensured that they further strengthen the current ‘martial law’ in place. They passed hasty legislations furthering the agenda of the powers that be. Changes to Army Act, some passed and other proposed amendments to Official Secrets Act are just a couple of examples in this regard. Silencing critics and media has been another point in focus. Even digital media has not been spared. So much so, the outgoing parliament gave even more powers to intelligence agencies.

So what does the future look like now? Bleak and murky to say the least. Supremacy of the constitution and judiciary seems like a joke. Had they any powers then they would have surely ensured that Article 224 of the constitution was implemented when Imran Khan the former PM had dissolved the provincial assemblies in a bid to push national assembly polls. This specific article of the constitution of Pakistan mandated that in the case where the national assembly or any provincial assembly is dissolved, general elections to that assembly shall be held within 90 days of the dissolution of that specific Assembly, but we all know how that went.

Ishaq Dar led economic team of the PDM tried their best to implement the economic policies of the nineties and that has taken the country to a dark tunnel facing the highest ever recorded inflation in history. All economic indicators highlight the poor performance of the former cabinet. More than six million have been pushed into poverty and even with the $3bn IMF bailout package approved last month, economy is still reeling.

Another aspect that cannot be ignored is that whilst the powerful circles have been focused on political engineering, they neglected the one most basic task that was to protect the country from terrorism and threats outside the border.

 They were way too focused on what was going inside the parliament that they left doors open from which terror units once again got the opportunity to wreak havoc. A massive surge in attacks by Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) proves the above stated argument.

Only focus of the power hungry ruling elite of Pakistan these days seems to just delay the general elections which ironically is the one logical solution & road towards stability. Politicians are all to be blamed for the current fiasco because one way or another, they all keep looking towards Rawalpindi for favors. One should know that for a democratic country, military interference is never the answer. Political shortcomings need to be handled in the parliament and not in closed quarters.

The people of Pakistan in today’s world of digital media know better and the ‘mighty’ in the country will have to do more than to just present postcards wrapped in anthems, dramas, and patriotic rhetoric. The days are long gone when you could manipulate facts with fiction. People know better to see than to just believe. This blessed country has seen its ups and downs but current scenario is only adding frustration and desperation in Pakistan. — PAK DESTINY

Ismaeel Qasim is a content editor www.pakdestiny.com, an MPhil scholar, political analyst & commentator.

He tweets @ismaeelqasim