Rebutting Foreign Policy magazine’s inclusion of Pakistan in its failed states index, Islamabad’s embassy in Washington has said the “cavalierly” applied flawed methodology overlooks the country’s many inherent strengths, domestic achievements and international contributions. “The methodology fails to capture Pakistan’s myriad strengths, while exaggerating its perceived weaknesses,” a spokesman of the Pakistani embassy, wrote in a rejoinder carried by the FP website.
Press attaché Nadeem Hotiana took exception to the methodology “so cavalierly” applied to Pakistan in the index singles out “the erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions,” the “inability to provide reasonable public services,” and “the inability to interact with other states as a full member of the international community” as key attributes of a failing state. “The compilers get it wrong about Pakistan on all these counts,” the official asserted.
“Pakistan today is on the cusp of an epochal transition. Even as it fights a full-blooded war against terrorists, it is completing a historic transformation from authoritarian rule to genuine democracy. This is the most legislatively active parliament in our history.” The embassy draws attention of the magazine to Pakistan’s recent achievements since the inception of the democratic government.
The country has cleansed the constitution of the debris of past authoritarian interludes and devolved power to the provinces, passed landmark legislation to help bring the residents of our Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Gilgit-Baltistan into the political mainstream, and taken the most comprehensive set of measures to address the grievances of the people of our Balochistan province. “It has passed more legislation on women’s rights than all of Pakistan’s past parliaments combined, while tackling such issues as domestic abuse and property rights and establishing a National Commission on Women. It also established a National Commission on Human Rights with enforcement powers.”
The official reminds the compilers of the index that a “ boisterously vibrant media in the country complements the coming of age of Pakistani democracy. “The Pakistani military is part of this democratic evolution. It has earned the respect of the average Pakistani through its unflinching resolve to take on the terrorists and allow the political leadership to set the country’s direction and policies.” This is not to say that Pakistan does not face challenges, the embassy spokesman says.