Majyd Aziz
August 14. A day etched deep into
our souls, the souls of 190 million Pakistanis. A day to bolster our profound
commitment to the achievements of the goals, aspirations, and vision of the
Founding Fathers. A day to meditate, to contemplate, and to remember. Every
citizen of Pakistan
celebrates the day as an ultimate reminder of the struggle for Independence from the
British Raj. It is on August 14 that Pakistanis forget their privileged ethnicity,
their provincial affiliation, and their heart burning prejudiced sensitivities.
There are no political party flags fluttering and the only colors visible are
the green and white that make up the country's proud standard.
August 14. Preparations for this
memorable day begin weeks in advance. The stores and the roadside vendors are
fully geared to stock and sell their patriotic wares. The electronic media has
chalked out programs to highlight the day and provide dazzling entertainment
for the viewers. The marketing departments of newspapers are out soliciting
advertisements for the Independence Day supplements. The Press Information
Department is busy digging out messages from the President and the Prime
Minister from its archives that they would polish, buff, and then send to all
newspapers. The motivating vision of the Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah,
concise and significant, is oft repeated and reminded. His remarkable words, Unity, Faith, and Discipline, are the
hallmarks of a true visionary. He was absolutely sure that these three words
would, a few decades down the road, ensue into a formidable nation, a unified
country, and a prosperous Pakistan.
August 14. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad
Ali Jinnah, the Leader, and Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal, the Dreamer, are revered
by every citizen for it was they who guided the Muslims of British India to persevere,
to strive, and to achieve freedom from London. Jinnah, educated at the
Lincoln's Inn, and Iqbal, with knowledge gained during his sojourn in Germany,
were far-sighted and bold gentlemen. They knew that the economic, political,
and social emancipation for the Indian Muslims would only be achieved in an
environment where there were no shackles of slavery and no strangulation from
the domination of the Hindu juggernaut. Their dream and vision culminated into
freedom at midnight on August 14, 1947.
August 14. Sixty six years after
Independence, Pakistan has not reached the heights Jinnah had visualized. A
belligerent Eastern neighbor not yet reconciled to the fact that Pakistan
exists and has made its presence felt globally, a wobbling North Western
neighbor still suspicious of Pakistan's role in its sovereignty, a reactionary
Western neighbor mindful of the dominance of Pakistan's Sunni majority, and the
benevolent Northern neighbor who proudly acclaims Pakistan as its all-weather
friend, all have in more ways than one impacted on the sustainability and
survival of this Islamic nation. The past events witnessed the separation of
the erstwhile East Pakistan from West Pakistan thru a diabolical and
Machiavellian conspiracy hatched in Agartala, India, and tacitly supported by forces inimical
to the ideals of Pakistan.
Moreover, pygmy politicians joining hands with self-centered bureaucrats
managed to create havoc and conspired to throttle the prosperity of the country.
They waited for Jinnah and Liaquat to die and then they put their satanic game
plan into action. The muddle created by them encouraged the protectors of the
borders to move the troops out from the cantonments and march towards the
capital. Of course, there were intermittent occasions when the façade of
democracy was thrust upon the citizens, evidently with damaging ramifications.
August 14. Pakistan's economy has had a
checkered history. A centralized, regimented, and controlled economy that
favored a selected few restricted the entry of enterprising entrepreneurs and
those who had the urge to venture into industry. Licenses, permits, and
approvals were sanctioned to the blue-eyed industrialists and this created an appalling
wide gap between the so-called 22 families (a term popularized by the late Dr
Mahbub ul Haq and used by him in a contemptuous manner) and those who owned
SMEs. Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto superbly exploited this frustration when he rallied
the nation against these conglomerate moguls and which ensued into the
disastrous nationalization action of the first PPP government. Although the
Ayubian era was considered as the Decade of Reforms that witnessed massive
industrialization, the fact remained that the 22 families savored the cream and
the small industrialists resigned themselves to eating crumbs. After the
takeover by the Zia-led junta, there was again a flurry of industrial activity
and gradually the confidence of industrialists and businessmen was restored.
August 14. Just three days after
Independence Day in 1988, Zia, whom Bhutto had appointed as Chief of the Army,
incidentally on April Fool's Day 1976, did not pay heed to the warning to stay
away from mangoes. His death brought in four short-lived political governments headed
twice each by supreme political rivals, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
Calling each other traitors, the two fiddled with democracy and the Treasury. Pakistan
became a pauper in the comity of nations and the economy was on a roller
coaster ride. The golden period emerged after Musharraf came into the scene and
brought his technocrat government to salvage whatever remained of the Islamic
Republic. Post 9/11 brought in oodles of manna
and soon the country was on the path of economic prosperity mainly due to the
foundations set in the first three years of Musharraf's tenure. Freedom to do
business. Freedom to set up industry. Freedom of the media. Telecommunication
revolution. Incentives to foreign investors. The list goes on.
August 14. The year 2007 saw
Musharraf being hijacked by his myopic advisors and the motley crowd known as
PML- (Q), led by two cousins from Gujrat and supported by a banker turned pygmy
politico on whom Lady Luck smiled and made him a Prime Minister. Calamitous
decisions undertaken by the government resulted in the rapid downslide in the
popularity of Musharraf. The arrival of Benazir and her assassination at the
fag end of 2007 was the last straw that broke the back of this government. PPP,
alongwith its allies, formed a coalition government and tried to tackle the
rising inflation, the fall in exports, the increase in imports, the dependence
on dole from IMF, the infrastructure shortages, the menace of terrorism and
extremism, and general discontent. Five years passed with inept, ad hoc, and voodoo
economic and financial management putting the country at the precipice of
disaster.
August 14. The Independence Day
in 2013, one hopes, could be the harbinger of a new age of economic prosperity.
But Pakistan
is at the mercy of the fury of nature alongwith human mistakes and governmental
apathy. The nation is still reeling under the pressure of a messed-up economy. The
credibility and trust factor is missing. The advent of a new government has
already brought high prices and shortages everywhere, even in this so-called
100-days honeymoon period. This is surely going to be a somber Independence Day
following a tough Holy Month. Pakistan’s prosperity is still hostage to vague governmental
decisions and priorities.
August 14. The dice is loaded
against the government, the stakes are high, and the avenue is full of
roadblocks, potholes, and debris. The government is maneuvering to sustain thru
ad hoc measures and avowed long term planning conjured up by ignorant and
hopeless domestic and foreign-returned consultants. Policies are prepared in an
NGO mode rather than oozing with pragmatism. These should have been done when
the present rulers were in opposition. What is sorely needed is total focus on
the economy and the way to do is to take into confidence the real stakeholders,
that is, the business and industrial community. This is the right approach and
one that surely works. When will the government listen? The answer, as always,
is blowing in the wind.
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