A dream gone sour
Dr A Q Khan
Monday, May 30, 2011
Today I am worried that the Pakistan of the Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal is on the verge of destruction and bankruptcy.
Never before during the past 63 years have we had such incapable, corrupt and shameless rulers. Did we not see President Zardari smiling broadly with Kerry on TV on May 16? It is as if Kerry was telling jokes and Zardari was enjoying them. As if nothing happened in Abbottabad on May 2. Ditto for the meeting with Prime Minister Gilani.
Those pictures of our leaders with Kerry reminded me of the pictures of two drone attacks in which 10 people were killed. And this immediately after the resolution by the joint session of parliament demanding that the drone attacks be stopped. This was the reply the US had for us. If our public representatives behave in this way, who is going to respect our sovereignty?
On May 28 and 30, 1998, we tested our nuclear devices in response to Indian nuclear tests on May 11 and 13. Pakistan emerged as a nuclear power on the world map, and the nation could hold its head high.
A few months after this event, Saudi defence minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz and his son Gen Khalid bin Sultan visited Kahuta. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the three services chiefs were also there. They were shown the nuclear facilities and the long-range guided ballistic missiles named Ghauri, which my team had successfully tested on April 6. Prince Sultan observed that our achievements had made the whole Muslim world proud. “We feel as if we have achieved this capability,” he said.
It is our misfortune, and definitely a curse from Allah, that 13 years after that achievement, the country is now in such a painful and distressing condition. Unemployment, inflation, loadshedding, terrorism, suicide bombings, foreign interference have engulfed this poor nation.
There is one institution that benefited most from our work. Freed from the Indian sword on their throat, they thrust a dictator named Musharraf on us. It was a godsend for him and his colleagues and in eight years, a proud country was turned into one carrying a begging bowl, a banana republic and a foreign colony. He came, he looted, he destroyed and then left aptly applies to Musharraf’s rule.
On this important occasion I miss that great Pakistani, strategist and intellectual, Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Had he been alive, he would have seized the opportunity to become the leader of the Islamic world. He would have attracted huge investments from the Middle East and turned Pakistan into a strong, respected and developed country. When that giant of a man was removed at the behest of foreign powers, pygmies pursued their policies based on nonexistent wisdom and foresight and brought Pakistan to this most painful state.
Instead of benefiting from our achievements, both at the domestic and international levels, our rulers initiated a series of blunders. The first was the freezing of the foreign currency accounts of both locals and expatriates. One has to totally lack foresight to undertake such an action or to listen to such advice and act accordingly. It caused total lack of confidence in our nationals abroad, who could transfer billions of dollars at a single call.
The second blunder was the supersession of a highly competent officer, Gen Ali Kuli Khan. I met him a number of times when he was chief of the general staff and I was highly impressed by his qualities and background. Instead, a commando was appointed army chief and the result is there for us all to see.
Even worse than these two blunders was the entry into politics of those known to be corrupt and incompetent, followed by the “friendly opposition.” There is a well-known expression, “Once bitten, twice shy,” but that refers only to people of understanding. Solemn promises made to the public were broken without compunction and a game of “I don’t see; I don’t hear and I don’t understand” was played out. This policy – and only this policy – is the root cause of our present malaise.
This “friendly opposition” has taken us nowhere. Not a single problem has been solved. On the contrary, the country is in the worst stage of its history. I believe it would be best for the country if all the old party leaders retired and cleared the field for young, energetic, educated leaders to save the sinking ship.
If that is not done, it is up to the public to dump all the old parties that have proved themselves to be unworthy and form new ones, join hands with each other and save the country. A good place to start is with Imran Khan. Young, honest people should come forward and work together for the good of the country.
It is sad and disheartening that all our Herculean efforts and achievements have gone down the drain. Only a few selfish looters are enjoying life while the majority of the people suffer from unemployment, hunger, loadshedding, price hikes, suicides, murders and kidnappings.
Patriotic Pakistanis are having sleepless nights over the situation and one is compelled to think that Mr Bhutto’s dream of Pakistan becoming a nuclear power is no more than a mirage. The dream has definitely gone sour. We, the public, are extremely worried while our rulers seem to be completely unworried. The party goes on undisturbed. In short, instead of benefiting from the achievements of May 28 and 30, 1998, we are worse off now than we were 13 years ago.
The present alarming situation in the country demands immediate cooperation between young, energetic, educated people to get together in the larger national interest. Mr Javed Hashmi, Ahsan Iqbal, Imran Khan, young workers from the Jamaat-e-Islami, Mr Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Sen Safdar Abbasi, Mrs. Naheed Khan, Mr Haneef Abbasi, and others likeminded people should join hands to form a credible block.
Many of my colleagues, acquaintances and I would, if asked, be happy to offer advice in finding solutions to economic, educational, agricultural, water and energy problems. Our country does not need to be a “colony” or enemy of any other country. We should follow a neutral policy – friendship with all, animosity with none. National interests and mutually beneficial trade should be the yardstick of our friendships. No aggressive designs against any country and no permission to anybody to use our land for aggression against anyone should be the rule.
Ours is a beautiful country, blessed by Allah with many riches, manpower and scenic beauty, and together we can turn it into a prosperous, advanced and well-developed homeland. We should look ahead. There is very little time left, and we should not waste it. We should turn Pakistan into a true Islamic welfare state.
Email:
[email protected]