Swarn Kishore Singh
There were times when present day Texas (a very populous and popular state in United States of America) was an independent country. Even prior to that, Texas was just a small city in Mexico with a population of 3500. Then a popular errand of being independent was sprouted by United States among the Texans; hence began their struggle for independence. Consequently Texas declared itself independent and their independence was ostensibly short lived as United States eventually annexed Texas. This is how west gnaws lands and this is where minnows like Pakistan are destined to.
Pakistan is a country which was carved out of British India to secure a nation for Muslims as Muslim League apprehended discrimination against muslims in a Hindu majority democratic country. Muslim League made a section of muslims believe that they would be subjected to inferior treatment in a Hindu dominated India; hence Pakistan was cut away from India. It was politically convenient for the west to keep India and Pakistan at loggerheads for times to come and what could be a bigger reason to fight than in the name of religion. West has been milking this wedge for more than 70 years by occasionally putting dying Pakistan on life support to ensure protraction of its existence to balance their interests in South Asia. West and China have been giving some significant financial aids to Pakistan just to untilt the regional dominance of India in South Asia. Pakistan, a country having mercenary military infrastructure with strategies dictated by China and west is kept busy in futile military activities so that they could keep India in check. Lately India has realized that Pakistan is a non-entity to engage and indulge with in any manner whatsoever; be it military engagements, diplomatic exchanges and even commercial participations. Although any misadventure by Pakistan has been dealt with in the same manner as India handles Naga insurgents crossing over to Myanmar; no exaggerations, no fear, just a proportional reaction to ensure deterrence.
Democracy could have somehow brought them some solace but then their respect for democracy can be evaluated with the manner in which Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was incarcerated and not allowed to form government even after wining the elections formidably, the recent example of imprisonment of Imran Khan is also a highlight of value Pakistan puts in democracy. The most dominant entity with significant controls over all the affairs of Pakistan is Pakistan Army; having a long record of being antithetic to democracy, Pakistan Army is doing every possible thing to ensure their fiefdom over Pakistan stays unimpeded and for that they have even slaughtered their democratic set up many a times. A recent example is the rigged election in Pakistan earlier this year. Pakistan army has made it clear time and again that any attempt by a democratically elected government to rein them in is like herding of cats; some people tried and met a disaster, be it Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto or very recently Imran Khan.
Such is the state of mistrust between state and its citizens in Pakistan that Balochistan, a province of Pakistan which covers around 44 percent territorial area of Pakistan is up against the state of Pakistan. Balochistan is rich in minerals, coal, natural gas and lot of other natural resources but still it is being kept backward and destitute by Punjabi elite and Sindhi co-sharers sitting in Islamabad and in the name of political representation, a puppet Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and political demagogue like Asif Ali Zardari are put on an obscene display; sad and perpetual ironies for Balochistan. Pakistan has been assassinating their prominent leaders, like Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. Since the times of premiership of Pervez Musharraf, there has been a continuous trend of forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Balochistan; some major disappearances of youth in Balochistan have been recorded recently too. Whosoever tries to rise against the cruelty of the state is picked up in the name of national security and then they disappear. Men have been so very much targeted that Balochs have now devised a new trend of women leading their protests, Mahrang Baloch being the latest example, a doctor and human rights activist. Her father was assassinated by Pakistan Army and then her brother was also incarcerated; all because they choose to stand for Balochistan.
Also the unrest in Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir may appear to be because of inflation in prices of essential commodities and power tariffs but it is just an uprising against the unjustified occupation and exploitative policies of Pakistan government. After failing to crush their movement, Shehbaz Sharif led Pakistan government tried to bribe their conscience by announcing 23 Billion Pakistan Rupees of subsidy but even that could not arrest the flare. Also in the name of political representation, they have been getting token Government installed by Pakistan Army.
Pakistan is trying to quell the dissent of its own citizens, just to ensure good optics of the integrity of their country and to avoid wrath of China as they have made some huge investments in these trouble torn parts of Pakistan via CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor). CPEC enters Pakistan through Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir and ends at Gwadar port, Balochistan; both are burning but facilitation of China remains a paramount duty for Pakistan. Recently Shehbaz Sharif personally visited Chinese embassy in Islamabad to apologize for killing of six Chinese nationals in Khyber Pakhtunkwa; this act of Shehbaz Sharif interpreted with rules of diplomacy has a direct corollary in Pakistan being just a colony of China. National Assembly of Pakistan recently passed a resolution recommending that Chinese-language courses be taught in Pakistan should be sign enough to infer surrender of Pakistani sovereignty before an imperialist China.
If there is any recipe for extinction of a country; Pakistan has it all; be it mis-governance, support of terrorist groups, protecting and nourishing subversive elements, financial collapse, civil unrest, military intervention in running of constitutional bodies, destruction of democratic institutions, immigration problems, religious fundamentalism or allowing imperialistic intervention in internal matters. What could be more treacherous for a country when Army runs the show; Army is best suited to run brigades and battalions not countries and nations. Sad but true!
(The author is an advocate and a political observer)
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