@padamchen I am divorced from Pakistan but that does not mean I am detached from it. What is left of my family [extended] in Pakistan almost all are in significant positions in government. Used to be army [including ISI] but that contact has reduced over last decade. I see them regularly. In Pakistan. And in UK. On my first visit to Pakistan as a young adult few decades back - Mr Zia was boss then I got my first real intro to Pakistan. I got to spend most of my time in nice part of Islamabad. It become evident very early on that those in power lived one life - that included drinking/women. They had the money. They were most of the time above the law. Religion was from what I could see just a distraction and a ritual to look good in front of their peers. The poor were drugged with religion. They looked forward to the the life after. Meantime in this life they were meted with injustice at every corner. I saw poor youth being beaten up by police for no reason then trying to take a free ride on back of a Suzuki. The poor boy begged for mercy. His hand first stretched to the constables chin. Then when he was kicked down he tried to grab his boots in desperate act of appeasment and submission. Non of this stopped his being brutalized for few paise. This sort of injustice can happen anywhere but what struck me was there was a crowd looking on - many with bloody beards but no man had the moral compass to step forward. That said something about Pakistan Islamic society. Money and power was what mattered. You had money and the contacts you could get most things done. Frankly to call such a contraption "Islamic Repubic" is a gross insult to the almighty. It's like a corrupt regime invoking the name of almity to cleanse it's dirt.
Furthermore every other person belonging to familes class behaved similarly. Most of the kids are sent abroad to Western universities for education. Then they come back to take ownership of their portion of the pie. Religion is being used as a way for the elite to deflect and hold on to power. That avoids having to invest the things that really matter. Please somebody tell me what is so
Islamic about a state that barely spends anything on education, health or housing or justice to the poor? Shunting people on Umrahs and building mosques does not help the poor and citing Quranic texts is not a magic potion either. It;'s just collective escapism.
If you think Chinese are not going to have a influence on Pakistan you must have your head in the clouds.
