Is Pakistan a Governable State? by Sultan Barq, Dec. 9, 2017

Japan was attacked by ATOM Bombs One lost 2 WWs, China 1.5 Billion 3 times a day and there are enemies around Israel. There are poor/beggar/homeless/jobless. None of the leaders have houses or investments in another country or have their children or relatives in lucrative ministries to loot. Leadership in Nuclear Pakistan of today (Oct 2015) has all ills and have rendered the country as totally ungovernable. Sovereignty is non-existent. Angry people or groups, come, select targets and kill as many people as they want including helpless and innocents. Inefficiencies and Corruption are killing Thousands in all parts of the Country. Women and Children are dying in All Parts of the Country both Urban and Rural due to NO Electricity, Water, and Food. Prime Minister is scared and has become redundant. Pakistan is reckoned as the most unsafe country in the World. Large tracts within geographic bounds of the country are no-go areas for the government machinery and people. Major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta etc. are being ruled by faceless terrorists. Foreigners and rich are soft targets for kidnapping, ransoms or bargaining release of held prisoners. There is fear all around. Even the Prime Minister could not visit the sick and sufferers in Karachi during his visit on July 1, 2015 and had to fly back to Islamabad within an Hour. 

Over 60 percent of population is aged below 25 years old. Over 80 percent of them are jobless. No Body is thinking about them. Majority of them are unemployable and untrained for any occupation or trade. Majority of them are from the poor families. They are ready to indulge in any type of social evil, including bribery, theft; robberies and becoming a moving bomb and kill uncontrolled poverty and lawlessness is on the rise. Government in the seventh largest population and nuclear state is failing in all sectors and fields of governance. Game of politics is being played according to the rules of each player. The politicians in some provinces appear to be under the control of terrorists. State of respect for human rights in the country is the lowest. People are dying without medical support or slaughtered or killed in public and women and girls are being flogged in camera. No Police appears to be in charge. The inverted tree of corruption is in full blossom. There is price for TOPMAN and every job from Peon to President.

A Women was held for smuggling Billions of US$s and a Boat Full of Billions US$s. are s a tag for the slots of becoming a senator or minister or members of the parliament. There is rate for any activity of trade and business from starting a bank to a bar or a power plant in an electricity deficit country. Recruitment in security agencies is done thru illegal means. A minister reportedly made about Rs. 3 Billion for selling 3,000 jobs in a department. The department is being looted by the staff thus employed. Public resources and funds are being stolen and misappropriated, robbers come every day to Banks, Shops, Homes and businesses and take away anything they can see. A minister goes to the arrival lounge of an airport to receive a smuggler of precious stones, threatens custom staff and walks out with goods unchecked. A member of assembly gets the entire family of an opponent arrested, arranges their torture at a police station for weeks and no one comes to their rescue. A Nazim beats his opponent, breaks his legs and ribs, goes to an open meeting of a Chief Minister manages to get a case registered against the injured person and forces police to take him to jail under the orders of CM. House owner calls emergency police by dialing emergency. One of the robbers noticed, he pulled out his cell phone called a number and ordered to ignore the call from House # ----. No one came. They looted the house, took away the valuables and killed the home owner as punishment for calling police.

A politically powerful man killed a person and child of deceased registered a case with the police. Police did not dare arrest the accused. The accused broke into the house of complainant, striped him naked, puts a leash around his neck and drags him in the Bazaar in broad day light in the presence of hundreds of people. No one comes to help miserable, and helpless. In broad day light, few persons enter the house of a senior federal officer in Islamabad, beat him, his wife and armed security guard and walk away with the daughter of the bureaucrat. An armed person comes to Main Road leading to President House few hundred Meters away and stages a naked drama in camera for 5 hours. A police officer was negotiating with the culprit and his wife. Islamabad did not have a Gun to inject sedative and make him unconscious. A politician came to have, a wrestling like fight and someone fired the culprit to wound and arrest him. Pakistan lost a lot of respect and face internationally. The President of US refused to meet our PM during the UN meeting and granted time for Photo Session few months later.

Fear of law and government is absolutely absent. Terrorists attack police stations, high security zones, army basis and police and security pickets to scare the men away so that maximum damage can be inflicted. Jails were broken in Hundred of prisoners released and taken away in hundreds of vehicles in DI Khan and Bannu. Not a single bullet was fired by police or security. People read about the incidents in the Newspapers next morning. Terrorists killed people in the security van first during attack on Sri Lankan Cricket Team at Liberty in Lahore. They attacked the security at the gates of Hotels Marriot in Islamabad and PC in Peshawar to take the vehicles loaded with ammunition in the premises. They followed similar standard operating procedure during attacks on 15 and ISI headquarters in Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore. In attack at PC Peshawar, the terrorists drove to the back of the hotel and crashed the loaded vehicle precisely in the area being used by foreigners and UN staff killing two of them. This proves that the terrorists have precise knowledge about their planned targets.

Why do Leaders of Government of Pakistan want to punish millions of Mehsuds or Bugtis or Marries or Achakzais from Balochistan and not give them the rights to Land and jobs on the local resources? Never before in the history of the subcontinent, have so many people died in a non-specific war, with no specific objectives and totally non specific limits of war zone. Does the leadership have brain power and guts to review the war that no one can win or afford to lose? There are positive ways of finding solutions without GUNS and Bullets. Who is thinking? Pakistan has remote Control Governments in All Provinces. A Pharmacist is advising PM, a former FAO person with a retired Diplomat is doing Foreign Affairs. A person with negative record is managing economy. Nobody in Government is paying Taxes. The Latest Report of Ombudsman exposed all in Power as Extremely Corrupt. The NRO legitimized corruption in Pakistan and consequences will be felt for decades.

All above is not a crime report of Pakistan for a decade but a snap shot of press clippings over a period of less than few months. People are in terrible shape. The brides are being kidnapped on marriage day. Pakistan, over the period has become absolutely ungovernable. People know about the culprits but are unable to stand up and control. Commons are scared and helpless.

It is astonishing to observe young men with automatic guns and face masks providing Security to VIPs, mosques and meetings. This is the new face of “new Pakistan” that is being projected in the World. This does not call for a very big brain to connect and understand the source. Peace in modern, democratic and nuclear Pakistan, is supposed .to be ensured by “unofficial” and rival religious groups with modern weapons and faces covered. Is it possible and sensible to ensure peace and tranquility following the way being suggested? The governability of Pakistan and capacity of leadership is being questioned with pessimism. Can the affairs in Pakistan be normalized? How long will it take to improve the situation? Is Pakistan more stable than it was during last few decades? Is Pakistan going thru second cycle of geographic readjustments? Is Pakistan a governable state?