On the eve of Pakistan's Independence Day on August 14, 2009, former Pakistani civil servant and prominent columnist Roedad Khan reflected on the state of affairs in Pakistan, arguing that the Pakistani military's overriding role and American intervention in the country have brought Pakistani into its current state. Following are excerpts from his article, titled "What Is There to Celebrate?" and published originally in English by the leading Pakistani daily The News. Following are some excerpts from the article: [1]
"Sixty-Two Years After Independence, We Have a Disjointed, Dysfunctional, Lopsided, Hybrid, Artificial, Political System"
"I was born in slavery. On August 14, thanks to the iron will and determination of Mr. Jinnah [founder of Pakistan], I was a proud citizen of a sovereign, independent country…
"Many nations in the past have attempted to develop democratic institutions, only to lose them when they took their liberties and political institutions for granted, and failed to comprehend the threat posed by a powerful military establishment.
"Pakistan is a classic example. Today it is neither sovereign, nor independent, nor even democratic. Today it is not just a 'rentier state,' ill-led, ill-governed by a power-hungry junta and a puppet government set up by Washington. Sixty-two years after independence, are we really free?
"The kind of Pakistan we have today is a ghost of its former self. The contrast between Pakistan in 1947 - idealistic, democratic, progressive, optimistic - and Pakistan today could not be sharper or more disheartening.
"What is there to celebrate? There is absolutely no reason to celebrate! But there are myriad reasons to reflect. We lost half the country in a suicidal civil war in 1971. Like the Bourbons of France, we have learned nothing and forgotten nothing.
"Sixty-two years after independence, we have a disjointed, dysfunctional, lopsided, hybrid, artificial, political system - a non-sovereign rubberstamp parliament, a weak and ineffective prime minister [Yousuf Raza Gilani], appointed by a powerful accidental president [Asif Zardari].
"As we look back at all the squandered decades, it is sad to think that for Pakistan it has been a period of unrelieved decline and the dream has turned sour. Once we were the envy of the developing world. That is now the stuff of nostalgia…."
"The MilitarizedState has Destroyed the Foundations of All our Political Institutions"
"What has become of the nation [and of] its core institutions? The militarized state has destroyed the foundations of all our political institutions. The army has been enthroned as the new elite. The level of fawning and jockeying to be merely noticed and smiled upon by any pretender in uniform speaks of a nation that is pleading to be crushed underfoot.
"Today we feel ourselves unable to look our children in the eye, for the shame of what we did, and didn't do, during the last 62 years. For the shame of what we allowed to happen.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
"This is an eerie period. The heart of the nation appears to stop beating, while its body remains suspended in a void.
"Today the Supreme Court, the Guardian of the Constitution, is the only ray of hope in the darkness that surrounds us. After years of subservience, it is on its feet and holding its head high. Sadly, in spite of a strong and independent judiciary, the present corrupt order may survive because both the Presidency and the parliament are dysfunctional and out of sync with the spirit of the times."
"De Facto Sovereignty... Resides Where the Coercive Power Resides" - In the Army
"The sovereignty of the people is a myth. To apply the adjective sovereign to the people in Pakistan is a tragic farce. Whatever the constitutional position, in the final analysis, de facto sovereignty in Pakistan resides neither in the electorate, nor the Parliament, nor the judiciary, nor even the Constitution which has superiority over all the institutions it creates. It resides where the coercive power resides.
"Even when an elected government is in power, as is the case today, it is the army which is the ultimate authority in decision-making. It decides when to abrogate the Constitution, when the Constitution should be held in abeyance, when an elected government should be sacked, and when democracy should be given a chance."
"Pakistan Has Become a Launching Pad for Military Operations against Neighboring Muslim Countries"
"The independence of Pakistan is a myth. By succumbing to American pressure, we managed to secure a temporary reprieve. But at what price?
"Today Pakistan is splattered with American fortresses, seriously compromising our internal and external sovereignty. American security personnel stationed on our soil move in and out of the country without any let or hindrance. Pakistan has become a launching pad for military operations against neighboring Muslim countries.
"We have been drawn into somebody else's war without understanding its true dimension or ultimate objectives. Nuclear Pakistan has been turned into an 'American lackey,' currently engaged in a proxy war against its own people."
Our Parliament is "Cowed [and] Timid... Parliamentary Membership is the Key to Material Success... and a License to Loot and Plunder"
"Parliament is one of the chief instruments of our democracy. Today it is cowed, timid, a virtual paralytic, overpaid and under-employed. Parliamentary membership is the key to material success, a passport, and a license to loot and plunder. It is no wonder; it is not a check on the arbitrariness of the executive and nobody takes it seriously. Today it is the weakest of the three pillars of state. It has suffered a steady diminution of power and prestige. Its image is tarnished and has been turned into a fig-leaf for unconstitutional and illegal practices.
"To no nation has fate been more malignant than to Pakistan. With few exceptions, Pakistan has long been saddled with poor, even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military dictators, political illiterates, and carpetbaggers. With all her shortcomings, Benazir Bhutto had undoubted leadership qualities - charisma, courage, political acumen and articulation. After her tragic assassination, Mr. Zardari's sudden ascension to the presidency caused panic among the people. God help us all….
"If a president has credibility, if he is believable, if he has integrity, nothing else matters. If he has no integrity, if he has no credibility, if there is a gap between what he says and what he does, nothing else matters, and he cannot govern."
"Our Nation Has the Heart of a Lion - But Who Is There to Give It The Roar?"
"Today we need a leader who has the vision, the skill, and the courage to pull Pakistan together as one nation and inspire the people. We need a president whose hands are clean and who has the capability to steer the ship of state through the rockiest shoals our country has ever known.
"Our nation has the heart of a lion. But who is there to give it the roar? Pakistan is not a case of failed state. It is a case of failed leadership."
"All Patriotic Pakistanis [Must] Fight for Our Core Values, Resist Foreign Intervention... And Destroy the Roots of the Evil that Afflicts Pakistan"
"Today failure is the most often heard expression in Pakistan. Some say we are at the last quarter of an hour. 'These are times that try men's souls. The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of his country, but he who serves it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.'
"It is not enough to sit back and let history slowly evolve. To settle back into your cold-hearted acceptance of the status quo is not an option. The present leadership is taking Pakistan to a perilous place. The course they are on leads downhill.
"This is a delicate time, full of hope and trepidation in equal measure. Today it is a political and moral imperative for all patriotic Pakistanis to fight for our core values, to resist foreign intervention in our internal affairs and to destroy the roots of evil that afflicts Pakistan.
"That is the best way to celebrate August 14 [Independence Day]."
Endnote:
[1] The News, Pakistan, August 12, 2009. The article has been lightly edited for clarity.
