In the Supreme National Interest

Thus blares out an official announcement: "the oath to judges under a provisional constitutional order has been administered in the supreme national interest of Pakistan.." Yet another, "the days of loot and plunder are over. Accountability will be across the board and new structural changes will be made to turn the economy around..". Sounds like a familiar script but this is what every government of the day, military or quasi-democratic, has been pronouncing, vowing and promising to the hapless people of this country. Adding insult to injury, it is claimed that all these "extra constitutional" measures and other actions (mostly gimmicks) are being taken in the supreme national interest of Pakistan.

It does not take the average intelligent mind long to comprehend that every step taken is and has been in the past pivoting around the central theme of "survival of the regime in power".

Modern democracy (as practiced in the civilized world) offer a political solution more or less nearer to the system of rule established by Caliphs in the early days of Islam. Accountability of those in power was the cornerstone of the polity and the Caliph was answerable to those he ruled even for the "clothes that he was wearing".

Unfortunately, none of our rulers have learnt that nothing is permanent except God. Announcements like needing 20 years rule to "sort out the mess" is just like proclaiming immortality. With each passing day of basking in power, the rulers distance themselves further from the needs and sufferings of their people. To understand how hot it is, you have to stand and toil under the heat of the summer sun and not just show your face for a picture session with the poor and then recoil into the comforts of fully air-conditioned and silk laced mansions.

Any government meaning real business must show the will to live and eat in the surroundings reflecting the majority of this country. They must also put themselves to public accountability from day-one by establishing a system by which every action or comforts and privileges enjoyed by the rulers can not only be questioned by the people but corrective action imposed upon them. Lest they transparently show that they have these basic pre-requisites in place, every action of theirs will be perceived, and rightly so, as "sham governance" and "acts of self-preservation".

We need the nation to be united to face the consequences of global aberrations. The external situation affecting Pakistan is far from comforting. India is raising the tempo and the pattern of events clearly indicate that they are bracing themselves for a showdown with us, notwithstanding the nuclear deterrence on both sides. We must not forget that the West perceives Pakistan as being potentially a haven for "terrorist organizations with fundamentalist leanings", therefore, the neutralization of a nuclear Pakistan is the cherished dream of the West. They cannot find a suitable proxy means for disarming Pakistan, once and for all, except through the courtesy of India, which has an axe to grind of its own. Thus, the convergence of interests and the unfolding of the global plan aim at hurting Pakistan.

The Armed Forces alone cannot sustain a total war imposed upon us, as the ramifications of a total war are all encompassing and have a bearing on the resilience of the country's economic, military, social and human reserves. The question we should all be asking ourselves collectively, is whether we can sustain a conventional war successfully against the combined political-military nexus that has connectivity across the globe, without mobilizing all able bodied people (men and women) of Pakistan? But will they be ready to be mobilized given our trends of "sham governance by the rulers", be it any government? The answer, I am afraid, is a big NO. You can only ask your subjects to eat grass for a thousand years provided you are prepared to eat it too!!

On the revival of economy, there are no simple solutions that can be offered because the fiscal and balance of payments situation is in disarray, notwithstanding hectic efforts by the economic team. But again, the basics for resurrecting the economy are concrete confidence building measures for; (a) investment and (b) non-coercive market economy with regulations only to counter monopoly and to provide basic social services. Coupled with these confidence-building measures, we need to drastically cut administrative and establishment costs; both capital as well as recurring, with the highest tiers in the government setting the trend in the spirit of the caliphs of yester years-a tall order indeed but there is no other way for our survival as an independent state. We need to ban all luxury imports and focus on facilitating exports.

Now a few thoughts on mobilizing our human potential. With the mushrooming of organizations that invite the unemployed youth for "jihad", we are potentially nurturing a "time-bomb". Repeated failures of governments add to frustrations, which can lead to desperate measures by armed and trained youth. How about channeling these multitudes to beef up our sustaining power in the present threat scenario. Centers can be set up for all unemployed youth and armed training imparted with basic sustenance allowance, medical and other facilities. In case of a war imposed on us, these armed volunteers can be told that the war booty they acquire will be theirs, just as it was when the Muslim armies fought their successful campaigns. Vajpayee and Company will shiver with the thought of a well-trained military machine operating in tandem with hordes of armed volunteers ravaging the vast lands of the Punjab Plains/Kashmir Valleys.

Alas, we do not learn from what God has revealed. Let us start now before it is too late. No one would be interested in the intricacies of how long we would require to don the "democracy uniform" provided the rulers vow to rule like Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions. Otherwise, time is running out and the cries for legitimacy and democracy will increase amidst economic stagnation and an ever-increasing external threat. For God's sake let us practically implement steps in the supreme national interest of Pakistan and refrain from any steps that are meant for the political survival of individuals. Only then can we be a self-reliant and proud nation and not look towards others to bail us out.

Please God, bless Pakistan.