Pakistan is one of those unfortunate countries that could not determine the way of achieving interests within the family of states nor could devise a comprehensive strategy to deliver at the national level. Undoubtedly, Pakistan is a state of diversity. Diversity exists in terms of ethnicity, language, culture, and even religion. The federal democratic structure of Pakistan provides an opportunity, on equal footings, to all ethnicities and religious communities to participate in the decision-making process of the country.
Though, there is a long way, for Pakistanis, to surpass to reach ideal federalism. The political instability, in any polity, causes turmoil to social-justices and economic growth. Unfortunately, Pakistan has been experiencing political instability since the very first day of inception due to one or other factors. It has led the politics towards radicalization and polarization. Political opponents are considered as well as dealt as enemies. In the process of defamation and degradation, politicians go up to the extreme even labeling each other as traitors and agents of foreign spy agencies. The political radicalization and polarization have created a vacuum of leadership. Pakistanis have been facing hardship in finding a unanimously agreed political leadership; neither the politicians have ever tried to lead the diversity as a whole.
Likewise, politics is labeled as a process of certain compromises that is to reach unanimously agreed conclusions and resolutions of certain political issues. The federal political setup provides a platform for all the diversities to have a stable socio-economic and political system. Contrarily, if the diversity and federal norms are bypassed, an unbalanced and devastating socio-economic and political setup becomes the destination. Pakistani politics and politicians are poles apart from the conception of rationality to excerpt rational decisions in terms of national and international policies.
In addition, politics and politicians need to be rationalized. While rationalization needs proper training and education. Unfortunately, the majority of political parties deliberately avoid educating the masses in Pakistan. The majority of people dogmatically believe in the sloganeer of politicians during election campaigns but after that people are ostensibly deceived. That is why It is one of the causes that the majority of people consider politics as a process of deceiving and cheating. It has kept the rational minds and capable heads out of the race in the field of politics in Pakistan. Taking advantage of the ignorance of people, politicians have been enjoying a legacy of governance.
Furthermore, the clashes and personal grudges among the politicians have devastated the social and political system of Pakistan. People are hunted in their personal grudges. They always try to defame and abuse each other on behalf of common men. But actually, they always do ignore common men. They take a common man as a buckler to cover their faces and wicked attitudes. Consequently, common men become desperate and constantly attempt to escape from the complex network of politics. The burden being experienced by common men has never been taken as a serious issue by politicians. The mess made by politicians always thrown at the back of people.
Moreover, the ongoing tension between the opposition and treasury benches at federal as well as at provincial levels is a burden upon people. Both opposition and treasury benches deliberately engage with each other in unnecessary discussions and debates. Both the parties attempt to keep engaging each other constantly. In fact, they never want to deliver to common men. While common men have been confined to be mere spectators of complex political scenarios. The real politics of state issues and their proper resolution are at stake due to politicians’ immature actions and behaviors.
For instance, people had mustered up their hopes with PTI. They believed PTI was the last option for addressing their grievances and problems. But PTI has been engaged by the opposition as well as internal political demagogues with the least important issues. PTI could not achieve extraordinary footprints at national and international levels. Internally, social injustice, inequality, poverty, gender discrimination, fiscal crisis, and health issues remained unaddressed. Though corruption is a curse eradication of corruption needs a comprehensive and independent across-the-board accountability mechanism. In this regard, if other sectors are ignored, it would be a failure of the treasury benches at the federal as well as provincial levels.
Importantly, at the international level, beyond delivering an applauded speech of PM Imran Khan at the UN, the treasury bench could not devise a fruitful foreign policy. A well-devised foreign policy could bring economic benefits to the country. Hiding face behind the curtain of the pandemic of Covid-19 will not be enough to pretend in this regard. Still, the treasury bench is confused in determining its strategy with neighboring countries. In the age of globalization and interdependency, remaining in segregation is dangerous in socio-economic, political as well as strategic terms.
In short, Pakistan is in dire need of a refined political setup where politics and politicians could mean reality, rationality, and national significance. Politics and politicians must work for the development of national causes and improvement of the living standard of common men. Politics and politicians are two close interrelated terminologies and likely, they need to work in interconnected ways. Otherwise, the nation has to bear the blunders of both for long. Politicians must work in coordination and cooperation with each other. In the same way, constructive criticism must be weighed and welcomed. Such an environment can change the fate and destiny of the nation. Beyond it, change is an absurd phenomenon in Pakistan.
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