@ Abu Zulfikar - good analysis.
Pakistan like India got freedom form colonial rule barely 7 decades ago. Both the nations are constituted as parliamentary democracies at birth. Democracy in India is riddled with flaws and has a very long way to go before it really meets the aspirations of all sections of the Indian society. However, here I shall give my views on the relevant topic which is Pakistani democracy.
Unlike India, Pakistan was unfortunate enough to have a string of wholly incompetent, greedy and selfish leaders who siphoned off the country's wealth and indulged in large scale nepotism while not doing anything constructive for the country.
in the early years corruption was not as bad as it is today.....in fact Pakistan (which started off with SCRAPS and no industrial capacity whatsoever) was a rising star already by mid 1950s/60s.......Army played an overwhelming role in politics --as the country was under martial law. Martial law was implemented not only by khakis but by civvies too (ZA Bhutto comes to mind)
Now the PA's record in the field of corruption and nepotism is not much better either
corruption will exist everywhere, unfortunately....the services have been no stranger to corruption in the past --yes there were shady arms deals and things like that --but today it's much different. The Army is a transparent institution.
but the Pakistan Army was successfully able to project it self as the protector and saviour of the people of Pakistan. That was a huge positive that the political class could not replicate. This impression, that when the chips are down, the Army is there for the country to fall back on.
Now let me tell you something that is relevant to the past 2-3 years --we've had floods, earthquakes, fallout from counter-insurgency, etc. These 3 things have done a lot to stifle development in our country ---presided over by an individual who went to his French chateau while 1/3 of our country was inundated in floodwater.
Civil society, private individuals and Pakistan's dynamic private sector played an important role in bringing aid relief and funds --even the international response was slow --given the "aid drain" and given the VICIOUS smear/propaganda campaign in western (and your) media.
If we had been just managing our affairs through what we receive through taxation, we would have been screwed up the arse since long. Troops fighting in FATA theatre since past three years have received just the bare minimum (combat & noncombat supplies) in order to effectively fight this COIN war --you think it was corruption which made these funds available? You think it was corruption and graft which enabled PA Engineer Corps and regular troops to not only distribute much needed aid/assistance to flood victims --but also to rebuild destroyed/damaged infrastructure? (from bridges to roads to rebuilding of schools).....these itemsand services by the PA were possible through either the pockets/pays of Officers and Men or through the the funds generated by the same PA-run "projects" which the Ayesha Siddiquis claim to be "deep state" or "army economy" or whatever it is....."projects" which incidentally yield more returns and income accruable to the government of Pakistan ---while the local MNA or parliamentarian misdeclares his/her assets through sneaky/cheeky ways. I dont want to smear ALL politicians since it's wrong to generalize, but we can see who has played a more constructive role.
The image of India with its massive war machine right next door has been carefully cultivated by the PA as the eternal existential enemy which is forever waiting to pounce and decimate Pakistan.
your country used terrorism as a state policy to divide West and East Pakistan....your country has threatened Pakistan many times, your country continues to occupy Kashmir at the expense of sentiment of Kashmiris themselves (forget Pakistanis).....whereas in the past all the media was state run and we only basically had PTV1 and PTV2 and a few others --now our media and channels are HUGE in numbers (the media was liberalized by a retired COAS serving as Prez). You may think Pakistanis are robots, but many are fully capable of formulating their own opinions.
Taimikhan said it very well, so i wont repeat it over and over. You can review his post again.
This has helped in a far greater allocation of national resources than justifiable and also enhanced the stature of the PA. Idiotic and hyper nationalistic politicians in India shooting off their mouth and issuing threats to Pakistan has only helped the cause of the PA by driving the population deeper into its arms while further degrading the status of the civilian rulers.
the onus is on you to control these loud-mouthes ---even your generals who talk about Cold Start doctrines, KNOWING that it will provoke and piss us off.
We are seeing a typically symbiotic relation between the PA and the Pakistani population.
its a symbiotic relationship because the Army belong to the PEOPLE, and is a product of the PEOPLE
The average Pakistani needs the PA to feel good by feeling secure and safe and the PA needs the continued support and loyalty of the population to maintain its preeminent position in the society. The only causality in this equation is the Pakistani democracy
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we are in a hostile neighbourhood, unfortunately
Democracy in Pakistan has been further eroded by some generals who were more interested in accretion of personal power and wealth, they were egged on by willy politicians who had their own political axe to grind. The large scale adulation of the population somehow convinced these generals that they could administer the country better than the civilians whom everyone hated anyway.
military rule always started on an upswing ---major reforms and growth were seen -- but military people think differently than politicians (thank GOD)
i do not believe that any military rules in Pakistan ended well....circumstances changed. That is why I am a firm believer in the Army remaining in the barracks. Given Pakistan's unique circumstances however, like any institution the PA should be kept on board.
History of course shows us that these generals were no better or worse than the guys they pushed out. But this did not stop them from trying again and again. Every time this happened, the democratic clock was stopped and reset at an earlier date.
it was bloody civilian leaders who made a mockery of democracy and destabilized the country. . .now on one hand yes --democracy will be messy in any aspiring democracy or pseudo-democracy....but when there are existential threats to Pakistan's very existence or when there is chaos, who else is supposed to take immediate action to reverse it?
Zardaris who will sell their own mothers to the highest bidder?
Rising Islamisation of the Pakistani society also has something to do with this phenomenon.
rising intolerance is a problem in the whole subcontinent....and you indians know this very very well too as you have it in your own country.
How far are core Islamic values consistent with western style democracy which are what Indian and Pakistani democracy are all about? The jury is still out on that one. That is all I will say in this regard.
Pakistan doesn't need to be a "western style democracy" ........we can have our own rubric and guidelines on how our country should be managed and run. If the people's aspirations are taken into account, that's all that matters.
China is, I believe, another factor here which is growing in importance. China is an immensely successful model for nation building. In fact, China is likely to become, in the next few decades or the next 50 years, the most powerful nation on Earth, economically and militarily. China is a close friend of Pakistan and exercises enormous influence over almost all aspects of the Pakistani life. And China is not a democracy. To the average Pakistani who sees democracy failing repeatedly to deliver, the Chinese model must be an irresistible.
Our political system and theirs is polar opposites. They do what's best for their country and they are assertive. China is a force to be reckoned with and all Pakistani men, women and children appreciate China and appreciate her support for Pakistan. Our relationship is a time-tested one; however who ever said that we have to implement their government structure?
their reality and ours are totally different......there was a time when China was dirt-poor; they were coming to us for consultations and economic advice.....ironically. Times changed because they liberalized and placed huge emphasis on export-led growth and industrial capacity (self-reliance and domestic consumption). But that's a whole other discussion.
That does not mean that Pakistanis are fond of communism. But the conflicting values of conservative Islam, the weakness of the democratic values and institutions coupled with the amazingly successful Chinese non democratic model, does give food for thought, This is my belief.
Pakistan is a country of 180m. We have conservatives, liberals. We have free-market free-venture capitalists and we have socialists. In any country --especially a democracy -there will be oftentimes conflicting views. Good luck getting everyone to see eye-to-eye on all issues and being on the same page.
China also has its fair share of problems too; as a friend of China and Chinese peoples (our neighbours) I wish them best of luck in tackling their issues. But based on their successes, we should implement "best-practices" ...not just China but all countries.
Pakistan is a young country and it will take time to sort out all the problems --political and socio-economic. That comes through visionary leadership. The onus is on Pakistanis to vote in the right people --based on their MERIT and credentials.
Pakistan Army is an institution that has been largely spared of crony-ism and dynastic politics. When the Army says they will do something, you can be damned sure they will do it. The Army cares about its reputation and seeks support from the people, and this wouldnt be possible if they engaged in the same f*ck ups and blunders that are regularly made by some of the corrupt civilian leaderships we have seen.
i could go on and on, but i'll just end it here
yep we love our forces .
, we knew that you had difficulties using that brains of yours, but never knew that you were an absolute crackhead. So guys, PA is off limits to media criticism because his posts dont make it past the mods - no wonder he's back in his pink sari, again.
