Pakistan: Manifestation of failed state

Pakistan has been placed at number 10 out of 19 countries in the list of 'The Failed State Index: Most vulnerable countries, 2014', compiled by the 'Fund for Peace', a Washington based international NGO, which was founded in 1957 and works to prevent violent conflict and promotes sustainable security. While South Sudan has been ranked number one as a failed state and Afghanistan number seven, Iraq stood at number thirteen. Each country is ranked according to twelve economic, social political and military indicators.

Pakistan's appearing in the list of failed states collated by a credible American NGO of 50 years' standing is plausible.

A failed state has been defined, as "one in which government does not have effective control of its territory, is not perceived as legitimate by a significant portion of its populations, does not provide domestic security or basic public service to its citizens and lacks a monopoly on the use of force." All these adverse factors are fairly incorporated in the polity of Pakistan by its short sighted political leadership and power hungry military since inception of the country.

Killing of forty-three and seriously injuring other twenty bus passengers, all belonging to minority Ismaili community (a sub-sect of Shia) at a close range on May 13, 2015 in Karachi by six terrorists belonging to Jundullah faction of the Tehriik-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) has once again raised the creditability of Pakistan as a State. TTP carried out this attack exactly after a day of Nawaz Shraif's return from Kabul, where his visit was primarily focused on Taliban issue. Islamic State (IS) also took responsibility of killings, which is not credible.

This militant attack on a minority community has once again exposed Pakistan's hollow claim in achieving success in reining in militant outfits since launching of military operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' in June 2014, in Waziristan Agency, bordering Afghanistan. Earlier in January 2015, a Shia mosque inShikarpur, Sindh, was attacked by TTP, killing 61 persons and injuring scores of worshipers.

The gravity of law and order and sectarian intolerance situation in Karachi and Baluchistan can be gauged from the fact that after the said incident Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharifcancelled his three-day official visit to Sri Lanka and instead landed at Karachi immediately after killing of Ismailis to review the deteriorating situation in the financial capital of Pakistan. General Raheel also telephoned His Highness Aga Khan, the spiritual head of Ismaili sect and expressed condolences on the incident. Aga Khan described the killings as a senseless act of violence against a peaceful community.

Ahmed Rashid, a senior and reputed Pakistani journalist believed that Pakistan is fighting three civil wars viz: one with Taliban, another with Baluch separatists and third one with multiple ethnic, criminal and Islamic gangs in Karachi. He further asserted that there was no accountability of government and Islamic extremists were carrying out act of terror with impunity.

The basics of a successful State, including sound democracy, human rights, women empowerment, national level welfare schemes related to necessities such as health and water, being considered anti-Islamic by Pakistan, in general, as well as Saudi supported radicals and cleric . Pakistan's irony is that neither civilian government nor army has guts to counter such false notion of radicals affecting country's progress.

Mohd. Ali Jinnah, known as founder of Pakistan in his speech to Pakistan's constitutional assembly on August 11, 1947 had emphasised the need for a secular Pakistan, where all citizens were equal irrespective of 'religion or caste or creed'. However, when Jinnah died in September 1948 shortly after the creation of Pakistan, due to lack of a second tier leadership, the country could not reach consensus on what kind of State it should become.

However, on March 23, 1956, which also happened to be 'Pakistan Day'. Pakistan's first constitution was adopted, proclaiming Pakistan as an Islamic state. With declaring Pakistan as an Islamic state, the rise of right-wing political parties and fundamentalists started in Pakistan.

However, contrary to Jinnah's concept to accommodate all religions, Pakistani Sunnis, found the Pakistan's state being as an Islamic state as an effective tool to subjugate minority Muslims and non-Muslims of the country. Gen Zia's rule (1978-88) encouraged Sunni radicals to propagate their sect vigorously at the cost of other Muslim minorities.

Gen Zia's regime was responsible of fundamentalism; emergence of ISI backed militant Sunni outfits like Taliban, Lashkar-e-Toiba. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jamaat-ul-Dawa, radicalism of Pakistan army, unleashing of atrocities on minority Muslims and non Muslims.

While Saudi Arabia got pleased with Zia's being fundamentalist, the USA got opportunity to exploit Gen. Zia for achieving its regional goals in Afghanistan war (1979-89) and pin-down the erstwhile Soviet Union in a battlefield there.

Process of subjugating and killings of minority Muslims and non Muslims started under Zia's regime is still in existence and especially killings of Shia is part of 'Jihadi' legacy left by Gen. Zia's Islamisation of the country.

After the end of Afghan war, Gen Zia and ISI supported Taliban turned into militants and since then their attacks in Pakistan have became a routine affairs. So far, over 40,000 Pakistani civilians have been killed in terrorist attacks, the country's economy suffered immensely due to this menace and from early 2003 until recently over 4,000 Pakistani soldiers have been killed and over 13,000 injured during their fight against Taliban.

Significantly, Pakistan army is predominantly responsible for the crumbling of the country as a State. It never allowed the democratic institutions to get strengthened and regularly meddled in the State's affairs making country's democratic values fragile and feeble.

Pakistan army always remained moderate with fundamentalists and grabbed the power through military coups in the year 1958, 1977 and 1999. In addition to it, several coups attempts were also made including in 1949, 1980 and 1995. Pakistan's army ruled the country for over 32 years, starting from self-proclaimed Field Marshall Ayub Khan to first so called Chief Executive then President, General Pervez Musharaf. Notably four military dictators of each military regime left behind a legacy of self destruction for Pakistan.

Notably, whenever Pakistan military seized the power, it created an impression that country needed military rule and remained in power till public anger against military rulers reached to the maximum point. Pakistan army always remained contemptuous of politicians and political parties. It never allowed the democracy to take roots in. Pakistan army always hijacked country's foreign policy towardsIndia and Afghanistan and gave a free hand to ISI to create instability through militancy in India and Afghanistan, price to which, Pakistan as a country is still paying.

Pakistan army's hegemonic attitude not only weakened democratic institutions but also provincial law enforcing agencies, which became virtually incompetent and incapable to control any serious law and order problem without the assistance of army. This is very much visible in Karachi and Baluchistan.

Pakistan is also facing some serious socio economic problems since inception of the country. Some of these have aggravated critically in the recent past. The successive military and civilian governments completely failed to check menace of terrorism, deteriorating law and order situation, corruption, feudalism, disparities amongst provinces due to Punjabi domination and unprecedented gulf between rich and poor and piddling social securities in the field of health, education and water.

At the economic front, Pakistan's condition is pathetic and economic indicators are not encouraging. Pakistan's national currency is consistently devaluing, high rate of inflation, acute shortage of electricity exists due to which factories of textile, cement, sugar are closing, declining exports, lack of resources, population explosion, dropping stock markets, poor managed tax system, and insufficient foreign investments in the country.

Thus, the present day political, economic and social scenario in Pakistan is evincive of the fact that Pakistan can be safely put into the list of a 'Failed State' as the ruling government(s) failed to fulfil the basic responsibilities of a sovereign state.

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