The country is in dire need of political stability and the politics of inclusiveness. The politics of confrontation and power pursuit will not augur well for the country and the people of Pakistan. The widened concept of security of a nation state has categorised political stability as a mandatory factor for progress of the nation. Other elements of the widened concept of security; economic, military, social and climate hazards, can only succeed after political stability has been achieved. The political situation in Pakistan has been swinging like a pendulum since the last forty years but more so in recent years due to the external and internal situation. For two decades, the country was sandwiched between the security situation in Afghanistan and our conventional security demands on the eastern border.
Pakistan’s issues stem from our geostrategic location. India in the east and Afghanistan in the west have huge implications on the security of Pakistan. Economic power is shifting from the west to the east and a new great game is being played in Eurasia and the Indian Ocean and Pakistan is a gateway to these regions. The port of Gwadar links Pakistan to the Indian Ocean through the Arabian Ocean. Pakistan is the only land route to Afghanistan and towards the Central Asian States. China will connect to the Indian Ocean via Gwadar, which is the flagship programme of CPEC. India is striving hard to connect Afghanistan and beyond to CARs via Chabahar. This competition of connectivity is a volatile situation in the region. A fragile economy, energy issues, a lack of job opportunities and a digital revolution has brought added challenges for political unrest in the country. Our fragile economic outlook and polarised society is a leverage with external forces to intervene in our internal situation. Our social structure provides an opportunity to external forces to ignite the situation at will. The energy shortage has been overcome at high cost and funding through borrowed money which results in inflation and a rise in commodity prices, thus igniting the masses against the government.
The establishment is not the issue, it is a scapegoat of external players and internal follies. It is the only army in the world which has fought and won two wars simultaneously. The armed forces are not meant to meet political demands of social media activists. However, they have always come up to the expectations of the nation when it comes to defence of the motherland, be it on the external front or internal duty. Our senior military leadership has out maneuvered their rival through superior strategy to fight both types of wars. Political players rely more on the blame game than strengthening their political base and resolving issues through dialogues. A country with a democratic set up and political and judicial institutions in place has all the potential to overcome any political crisis and dispense with high-quality governance. Our political system has the ability to resolve any crisis and enforce political stability through dialogue.
Our social and administrative issues are more alarming than political issues. The media needs to focus and highlight social shortcomings for smooth functioning of society. The energy issue is the biggest issue which has brought more challenges for the country than any other challenge. Pakistan is trying to overcome this issue through a mix of coal, hydro, wind and nuclear resources. It is a long-term plan, but this is the only solution to problems and to have cheaper energy in the future. Accountability and anti-corruption are two different things. Accountability is a political tool for arm twisting of political opponents, while anti-corruption aims at improvement in administration and efficient working. We need to promote the culture of anti-corruption.
India has waged a propaganda war to influence public opinion for disruption in the political environment through fake and distorted news. Kulbushan, Abhinandan, the Indian Chronicles, FATF, the nexus of RAW and NDS, and support to terrorist outfits in Balochistan are a few examples to quote Indian involvement in our domestic affairs. In recent years, Indian social media has been fuelling political unrest in Pakistan. Social media intervention is equivalent to breaching the sovereignty of a country. India is promoting a culture of intervention in internal affairs of other countries. In Balochistan, India has been fuelling terrorist outfits to disrupt development projects initiated by the government of Pakistan for the development of the province.
We are in the midst of the fourth information revolution. It is a digital revolution. The extraordinary and rapid developments in the digital world are unmatchable for countries like us. It is estimated that a total of $675 billion in revenue is being generated in the digital world and our share is only $1 billion. It is an opportunity for Pakistan, our youth to exploit the advantages of the digital world. However, to overcome external challenges and benefit from internal and external market markets and trends, political stability is foremost. Political stability is the responsibility of both the government as well opposition parties. The political leadership must rise to the occasion to pull the country out of this crisis and float at par with the developing nations of the world. A credible leader is equally important, whether in government or opposition.
Pakistan’s issues stem from our geostrategic location. India in the east and Afghanistan in the west have huge implications on the security of Pakistan. Economic power is shifting from the west to the east and a new great game is being played in Eurasia and the Indian Ocean and Pakistan is a gateway to these regions. The port of Gwadar links Pakistan to the Indian Ocean through the Arabian Ocean. Pakistan is the only land route to Afghanistan and towards the Central Asian States. China will connect to the Indian Ocean via Gwadar, which is the flagship programme of CPEC. India is striving hard to connect Afghanistan and beyond to CARs via Chabahar. This competition of connectivity is a volatile situation in the region. A fragile economy, energy issues, a lack of job opportunities and a digital revolution has brought added challenges for political unrest in the country. Our fragile economic outlook and polarised society is a leverage with external forces to intervene in our internal situation. Our social structure provides an opportunity to external forces to ignite the situation at will. The energy shortage has been overcome at high cost and funding through borrowed money which results in inflation and a rise in commodity prices, thus igniting the masses against the government.
The establishment is not the issue, it is a scapegoat of external players and internal follies. It is the only army in the world which has fought and won two wars simultaneously. The armed forces are not meant to meet political demands of social media activists. However, they have always come up to the expectations of the nation when it comes to defence of the motherland, be it on the external front or internal duty. Our senior military leadership has out maneuvered their rival through superior strategy to fight both types of wars. Political players rely more on the blame game than strengthening their political base and resolving issues through dialogues. A country with a democratic set up and political and judicial institutions in place has all the potential to overcome any political crisis and dispense with high-quality governance. Our political system has the ability to resolve any crisis and enforce political stability through dialogue.
Our social and administrative issues are more alarming than political issues. The media needs to focus and highlight social shortcomings for smooth functioning of society. The energy issue is the biggest issue which has brought more challenges for the country than any other challenge. Pakistan is trying to overcome this issue through a mix of coal, hydro, wind and nuclear resources. It is a long-term plan, but this is the only solution to problems and to have cheaper energy in the future. Accountability and anti-corruption are two different things. Accountability is a political tool for arm twisting of political opponents, while anti-corruption aims at improvement in administration and efficient working. We need to promote the culture of anti-corruption.
India has waged a propaganda war to influence public opinion for disruption in the political environment through fake and distorted news. Kulbushan, Abhinandan, the Indian Chronicles, FATF, the nexus of RAW and NDS, and support to terrorist outfits in Balochistan are a few examples to quote Indian involvement in our domestic affairs. In recent years, Indian social media has been fuelling political unrest in Pakistan. Social media intervention is equivalent to breaching the sovereignty of a country. India is promoting a culture of intervention in internal affairs of other countries. In Balochistan, India has been fuelling terrorist outfits to disrupt development projects initiated by the government of Pakistan for the development of the province.
We are in the midst of the fourth information revolution. It is a digital revolution. The extraordinary and rapid developments in the digital world are unmatchable for countries like us. It is estimated that a total of $675 billion in revenue is being generated in the digital world and our share is only $1 billion. It is an opportunity for Pakistan, our youth to exploit the advantages of the digital world. However, to overcome external challenges and benefit from internal and external market markets and trends, political stability is foremost. Political stability is the responsibility of both the government as well opposition parties. The political leadership must rise to the occasion to pull the country out of this crisis and float at par with the developing nations of the world. A credible leader is equally important, whether in government or opposition.
