Please read the attached personal opinion that I have written to start our debate on the gravity of the situation facing Pakistan and the region. It is drawn from PESA studies, ground reports, and interactions with thinkers and diplomats from other countries. It is not a PESA approved document and aimed at inciting debate. The "Save Pakistan " coalition needs to establish a valid and realistic perception of the situation if we are to address it rationally. Your views before or at the first meeting would be appreciated. Please put it on your Blogs and share it with your friends to get the widest feedback.
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Pakistanis must look ahead.
Nostalgic adulation of the Quaid and founders of Pakistan that many cling to in these trying times is understandable. They gave us Pakistan and Pakistani identity that we cherish. But the commitment to the two nation theory as a valid basis for further evolution of our society is patently outdated and no longer open to debate, given the empirical proof of 1971, and the ever changing current state of affairs staring us in the face. The Quaid�s warning not to conflate the �State of Pakistan� with �Islam� was left unheeded, indeed actively opposed, sowing the seeds of the current fragmentation of both �our Islam� and �our state�.
The dialectics of our societal evolution have shown that our Grundnorm rooted in the exclusionary concept of �two nation� theory, did not lead to a progressive social contract able to serve the needs of all members of our society equally.
The two nation theory was exclusionary not only against Indian Hindus, but against all non Muslims in Pakistan. Thus our non Muslim Pakistanis soon became inferior in the eyes of the Islamic state. Along the way we have lost many of our Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, Jewish, and now Christian Pakistanis. The process of exclusion continues to afflict Pakistan in the form of sectarianism within Islam.
Citizens cede some rights and pay taxes to the State and accept its writ in exchange for protection, regulation, collective human development, etc. This is the basis of the �social contract� in a nation state. When the state fails to provide these functions to segments of society that are seen as less than equal, social divisions arise till ultimately these segments rejecting the leaving the state, or taking up arms to fight for their rights; if territorially homogenous they secede through UDI: such as occurred in the case of Bangladesh.
Today we see political parties jostling to consolidate their turf, preparing for what they see as inevitable Balkanization of Pakistan (a post Balkanization Punjab could not justify retaining a nuclear deterrent) by the American Empire countries for their strategic compulsion of engineering a South Asian alternate production center to rival that of China. America is afraid that uncontested economic growth of China could allow it to become a credible contender for super power status able to challenge American control of the world economic order.
If citizens of Pakistan wish to ensure the survival of our state we have to look far ahead and take responsibility to evolve a Grundnorm that is not exclusionary, and is acceptable to all segments of society, and is sustainable in the long term. This task cannot be left to our current crop of politicians who are no different from Bhutto and Mujib who were happy to share their own piece of the Pakistan pie.
A sustainable Grundnorm cannot be rooted in exclusionary and divisive concepts like religion, race, etc. because these concepts inherently lead to division, violence, fragmentation of society, and hence economic collapse.
The success of American empire societies is largely due to their inclusionary Grundnorms and economy focused social contracts that are seen to enable access to equality for all.
The theory that nation states inherently need to compete has been rejected amongst and within the Empire countries after WW1 and WW2. The ceding of economic and even some political sovereignty to unions such as the EU, ASEAN, and NAFTA should be proof enough that a Grundnorm that does not impede trans-national economics and multilateralism is preferable to one that is isolationist and exclusive in a globalizing world. China learnt that lesson three decades ago. India is learning it now.
We cannot achieve peace, stability, or economic progress for our people if our nationhood is based on irreconcilable differences with our neighbor, as in the two nation theory; especially since our neighbor has a much larger military and economy.
The survival of Pakistan and even Israel against larger hostile neighbors has been dependent on aid flows from American Empire countries that saw strategic advantage in the survival of both these states against larger hostile neighbors. Both were useful to keep their larger neighbors under threat.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, and emergence of China, they no longer see advantage in the continued existence of Pakistan as it is today, because it impedes their compulsion for a South Asian alternate to China, provides China access to strategic advantages and energy options; and has a credible nuclear deterrent that could pose a threat to long term American presence.
Pakistan must urgently re-visit its Grundnorm, National identity, and vital national interests. Our people need a new peace and economy focused paradigm in Asia that could even now emerge from a positive regional dialogue in which America, China, and India must be included. A paradigm imposed through violence and economic coercion to benefit only the Empire countries would not be acceptable, nor be responsive, to the needs of the burgeoning young populations of Asia. This is what is being attempted today. The current situation has the omens of a build up to WW3 and Af-Pak is the battlefield for Balkanization of Pakistan (China�s strategic imperative, and India�s Strategic compulsion). Currently the war is of low intensity, only because of our credible nuclear deterrent. We must not let this low intensity war reach higher levels on the spectrum of violence. Pakistan is being coerced by America into a South Asian economic zone and away from China�s strategic influence, under threat of Balkanization.
It is not evident to the people that our apparently puppet political and military leaders are free to comprehend the urgency, let alone provide the visionary leadership, to make the necessary bold choices to safe guard the lives of our children and survival of our Pakistan.
There is still time to think ahead, stand united, and evolve a consensus for a National and Regional Strategy to save the hard working people of Pakistan and Asia from another major war. The post Soviet unrestrained American Empire strategy of outright occupation of resource rich and strategic countries is not to be taken lightly. It is real and it is underway. It can only be �managed� by a united Asia willing to jointly negotiate the American Empire�s role and share in the Asian economic boom.
But Asian countries must first revisit their many outdated assumptions if they are to stand united to manage the new compulsions that the American Empire is pursuing. Given our weaker military and economic standing we cannot push back the Empire. We can only hope to find our needs and space within it.
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