Our Pitiable Neighborhood

Often I wonder what went wrong with the DNA construction of Pakistan that since its inception it has remained crippled. Nevertheless, no matter that it has waged many wars on my country, albeit unsuccessfully every time, tries to wreck India’s stability with its repeated terrorists attempts, again, unsuccessfully, that it has annexed a considerable chunk of my nation’s territory – that portion renamed by the world as Pakistan Administered Kashmir (PAK), in India it rightfully being referred to as POK – Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, I feel no animosity towards our neighbor that is now called a failed state worldwide. For me, Pakistan is a country which was cleverly severed by British from India’s body a little more than six decades ago, and Pakistanis are the beings who were Indians only till recently, a little more than six decades ago.

But, I feel pity for Pakistan.

I feel pity for Pakistan because it has let its politicians and army exploit it to the hilt without ever forcefully raising its voice in protest and punishing the perpetrators of anarchy, utter mismanagement and extreme corruption. It has silently suffered repeated rapes. I wonder why …

Perhaps, something went wrong completely during its inception.

Pakistan was created by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, himself a staunch secularist and an atheist, but who fancied and fashioned his “idea” of his country on his politically motivated notion entrenched in separatism and religious bigotry. Jinnah was one of the most hypocritical of the world leaders who exhibited a complete dichotomy between what he preached and practiced. Still I believe that if he would have remained alive for considerable period of time post partition, he could have led Pakistan on a different trajectory than the one on which it found itself sliding after his sudden death soon after its partition from India.

Even if Pakistan was created as a Muslim state – of the Muslims, by the Muslims, for the Muslims – even if it has been governed (shall we say, ruled?!) by army dictators for most period of its existence, even if it went along with US and became its puppet along the way, even if it created Taliban and let its soil used for waging terror attacks on India and elsewhere, even if … still it could have become a much better country for its own folks. I wonder why it did not happen …

All that Pakistan had to do was to show the same amount of courage that it showed in orchestrating the ouster of General Pervez Musharraf, every time it found itself being manipulated by its greedy politicians and brutal dictators. And the things would have been much better for Pakistanis. It just had to think about itself rather than getting distracted by things hugely detrimental to its own interest and no one else. Islam, its ‘founding’ religion, could have come as its biggest guide in its endeavor towards stability and prosperity, if interpreted and followed properly of course. Pakistan was not required to be friends with India if it didn’t want to be. Forget about the illusions of cricket and people-to-people contacts and other initiatives to so-called normalize the situation across both sides of the LOC. Pakistan just had to do what was good for sustainable peace and prosperity of its own people.

Instead, Pakistan continues to live in its blinkered world with a mind perpetually in denial. Instead of taking sincere corrective measures to rid itself of the ever increasing menace of its own creation i.e. Taliban and scores of other extremists outfits; instead of dismantling the terror network and infrastructure built on its land – supported by the establishment itself of course, Pakistan is shamelessly diverting blames on India for all its woes, including Taliban’s terror! I find it extremely preposterous and pitiable at the same time.

Today, the state of affairs in Pakistan is so pathetic that the world is wondering if it will survive and for how long before collapsing completely. For me, an Indian, Pakistan’s political and social stability is crucial for the peace in my own country.

I say, wake up Pakistan! Else, the time is not far when you will get fatally mauled by your own demons. Let the world feel proud of you rather than pity you, as I do.

Pakistan will come to its senses someday soon, I am sure. Or is it audacity of hope? I hope not. Inshallah …