After 66 years, Pakistan is a more fragmented society than our forefathers could have ever imagined. The schism is so intense that if immediate corrective steps are not taken, God forbid, this country may see even more turbulent times.
The writing on the wall is clear for all to read. The decadence of Pakistani society in every sphere of life, be it political, economic, educational, industrial, agricultural, religious, law and order or any other segment worth naming, is abysmal, to say the least.
Maybe we have one last chance to stem the rot, to unite the people and to give them a prescription, to rise again and rebuild the nation, because for the overwhelming majority a time is coming that the masses may well be forced to think that if there is no life there is no nation.
Pakistan needs a turnaround for which the basic need is our adaptation and readiness for the change, not in cosmetic but real sense. We need a complete change from one era to another, like the one witnessed by China under Mao Zedong.
Hence, for all Pakistanis failure is not an option but success is also not automatically guaranteed. In this regard, I would like to suggest that we formulate a new social contract, for the common people of Pakistan who always pay 100 percent bills and taxes and never default on their bank loans. Let us make a new Pakistan which is redesigned to practically cater to the needs of the exploited masses.
Changes must be made in the constitution to make it a presidential form of democratic setup. The election system should also be changed so that the whole country directly votes for the president. However, before voting the candidates of all political parties for presidential post must notify a list of their MPAs, MNAs and Senators who will be automatically considered elected according to the percentage of votes cast in favour of the main candidate for the top post of the country.
The decision for Pakistan’s charter of development for building dams and mega projects for the next 50 years should also be finalised on which later on no politics should be allowed. In other words, the representatives of the nation should decide now where they would like to see Pakistan in each and every field of life after 50 years. This plan should be further divided into ten five years plans.
In order to decentralise and empower the maximum number of people to enjoy the fruits of self-rule, we should convert every division of Pakistan into a province. This will also work as a panacea, for the eradication of linguistic and any other type of frictions and doubts about the hegemony of one class of the people over the other. In fact, it will work wonders in the speedy development and unity of Pakistan and kill instantly any secessionist or separatist activities currently prevailing in some parts of the country.
SYED NAYYAR UDDIN AHMAD
Lahore
