Things Pakistan can learn from the Ukraine crisis
“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
If there is any period in the southern Asia and not just Pakistan that reeks of discontent, it is this. Revolutions are happening all over the world and people are dying but they are also achieving what they always wanted by finding innovative and often compelling ways to bring back the focus of the authority to their needs and wants and that’s making all of us jealous, if not inspired.
Pakistan as a country is a history written in blood and struggle. There have been numerous accounts of the tragedies the country has passed through and successfully though it still stands along with a republic in the world which is out to crush the smaller ones or invade the ones with oil in the name of peace keeping operations.
The problems of Pakistan don’t seem to end there though. For as far as one can look back or ahead into the future, the situation seems only grim. With internet censorship and the subsequent ban on YouTube, the clear message that the country sends to its people is that of superior authority and rule by a few rather than a dispersed republic with personal freedom and individual rights to expression.
People might be a little too biased for your background at times but that doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate another singer like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or another Shahid Afridi who rises like phoenix and paves the way for prosperity and glory finally coming to the country which has played the role of second fiddle for far too long.
The Ukraine crisis was no different. The government just didn’t listen to the voice of people and ended up being overthrown. President Yanukovich of Ukraine is a forgotten name now as he left his seat and sought a safe harbour and another weakling has replaced him but the country and its people are in a mess just because the government failed to capture the pulse of the country. People would have been happier with efficient and intent government that is non-aligned rather than a corrupt government which went to seek refuge in Russia.
On the other hand, things are further complicated in Pakistan due to the presence of Taliban and anti-government fronts that are vying for power at every point and hence, expecting the government to have a smooth run over its course almost a utopia. Notably so when there hasn’t been a prime minister who lasted for his complete term of five years, and this speaks a lot about the troubled state of democracy in the country which loosely hangs on public expectations and takes life support from appeasing other stakeholders including religious groups which can’t be described as progressive.
What catches one’s eye though, is not the ephemeral nature of government in the country but complicated issue of democracy which people don’t believe in. And they are too tired of the regimes that only further increase the bans and restrictions on free speech rather than work towards creating a globally integrated country that isn’t afraid to open its gates to foreign ideas and people.
Strictly speaking, Ukraine should be an eye-opener for Pakistan since the country is similarly doing badly economically and remains squeezed between two big powers while the superpower of the world keeps keen interest in its affairs in the name of international peace. Having outsized neighbours isn’t a bad thing but being in Asia and not doing as west does is a definite source of self-destruction at the hands of sanctions and public loathing or ostracizing and experiencing aloofness like China did for a very long time after its revolution.
Internet stands for a well-connected world and knowledge is power. Pakistan should empower its people and allow them to chart unknown territories for a while and discover what works for them.
Internet stands for a well-connected world and knowledge is power. Pakistan should empower its people and allow them to chart unknown territories for a while and discover what works for them instead of throwing its own whims and fancies on them and burdening them further in the times when they fight more Taliban than one.
The use of violence in public should be reduced at once and military strength should be portrayed if the need arises but those perpetrating fear shouldn’t be spared. This will go a long way in boosting international confidence in the country and the second rank among the world’s most dangerous countries can be expected to drop. India is nearby at the third rank, as a matter of fact.
People might be a little too biased for your background at times but that doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate another singer like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or another Shahid Afridi who rises like a phoenix and might pave the way for glory, and probably prosperity too, finally coming to the country which has played the role of second fiddle for far too long.
