Great debates

We have finally entered the most trying times of our history. Economic meltdown with no sign of relief, extreme political polarization and instability combined with rising terrorism – are all on full display.

There is also pressure on various stakeholders after the failed Imran project, and they are sandwiched between attacks from the PTI of Imran Khan and the dissenting voices from the current coalition. Governance is breaking down, ungoverned spaces are popping up all over the country, and the people are fast losing hope.

Moral degeneration and the crime rate are on the rise due to despondency. And the bigotry nurtured over the decades has become an uncontrolled monster manifesting itself in the most ugly incidents like the one in Nankana Sahib recently. The great disorder under the sun asks for great leadership. Do we have it? Can we rise up? Can we sail through these choppy waters? Questions galore.

In terms of economic hardships, this probably is the worst time in the three quarters of a century of Pakistan. The country today looks friendless in the comity of nations thanks to the policies of our power elite. We might avoid a proverbial default after agreeing to the most shameful conditions put up by the IMF, but our problems are not going away even after the IMF programme goes through.

Can we agree on an economic reform agenda to avoid international humiliation and put our country on the path of economic resurgence? We are bordered with the markets of around three billion people to our north and the east. Can we transform our economy to cater to the market needs of just those two neighbours as well as restructure our economy to be a useful part of the global value chain?

These are questions of our survival. Can we create a national consensus on these issues and issue a national economic charter across party lines and commit to our people as the way forward after the elections? The same old same old won’t work. In order to reach the consensus, a series of great debates on mainstream and social media are needed. Will our media find time for these useful debates about the very future of our people or continue to get bogged down with silly shouting matches of ‘he said he said’?

A cursory look at world history tells us that nations have experienced the worst times of their history including wars and great depression before but only countries with wise leadership and foresight have sailed through. During these depressing times, people with resources to survive have to help other people. That will help a country from going down a spiral of anarchy. People around the world have stood with their people in distress. So can we. Will we? Will our power elites open their wallets and hearts to help the people of their own country to survive this troubling time?

We have seen countries disappear from the world map despite the mighty military power they used to have. The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia don’t exist today. This happens also when religious, linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversity is not treated as a strength. The same diversity becomes your death warrant if you don’t appreciate and celebrate it.

Pakistan continues to develop the population time bomb with every passing day. With no resources available to develop human resources, we continue piling up large crowds of ignorant, unskilled and unhealthy people. Combine this with the historic nurturing of bigotry and religious intolerance, and we are fast becoming a global nuisance.

The Pakistan passport today has become one of the most undesirable documents. We need a national consensus on population control as well as the state’s equal opportunity to people of all faiths and no preferential treatment to any religious group. That is what Jinnah preached on August 11, 1947 while addressing the constituent assembly. Can we educate our people about that in our congregations, homes and other places? Will our media become a source of enlightenment and promote pluralism? Will our educational institutions join the campaign to become part of the solution to this problem?

Will all institutions learn to live with and respect the decisions of our people and their representatives rather than installing and uninstalling projects? Will they join the great dialogue along with sections of the power elite to initiate truth and reconciliation?

A nuclear national security state can’t rest over mobs of millions of hungry, poor, uneducated, unskilled, unhealthy, angry, bigoted people. It is time to think it through and work to turn our fate around.

Let me rephrase what Mao said: There is great chaos under the heaven. The situation is NOT excellent.

The writer is a journalist. He tweets @murtazasolangi and can be reached at: murtazasolangi@gmail.com