Those who always want to read positive or even glowing analysis about Pakistan must stop here because what follows is not pretty.
For me, it is hard to differentiate between hell and Pakistan because things in Pakistan are that bad. The best way to describe Pakistan is to explain that the country is a place where you’d find chaos, uncertainty, mayhem, inflation, economic stagnation, poverty, deteriorating law & order situation, daily suicide attacks and bombings across the country, insurgencies in two out of four provinces, growing religious conflict, and so on and so forth. Those who live in Pakistan actually have no confidence either in their elected representatives or any of the institutions in the country. Cynicism prevents the Pakistanis from objectively considering anything positive. Conspiracy theorists present mind boggling theories and people accept these outrageous suggestions as the final word.
There is no room or regard for logic or rational thinking about any subject.
In fact, in order to be taken seriously in Pakistan, one has to first establish his bona fides by suggesting weird notions about America and its role in destabilizing Pakistan and the stranger one’s ideals or suggestions, the more competent and patriotic he is considered. If God forbid anyone tries to be realistic, balanced, or honest about ground realities, all sorts of labels are thrown at him: unpatriotic, enemy of Islam and Pakistan, CIA agent, playing in India’s hands, etc.
No one knows why the people in Pakistan are unable to come to grips with reality. Similarly, it is also not known why Pakistanis can’t differentiate between fact and fiction. Even more troubling is the rise of the so-called analysts and experts currently visible on T.V. across the country opining about issues that most of them are not qualified to discuss. One reason national confidence has sunk so very low is that the so-called experts on T.V. and in the print media are crying repeatedly about the coming Armageddon without explaining the need or reason behind this battle, but these people do repeatedly inform us that America is about to fall and fail. This notion of wanting American destruction is unrealistic, unhealthy and extremely disturbing.
What Pakistan needs is positive energy to overcome tremendous challenges that it faces today. People in Pakistan are better off if they stop watching the Pakistani television and stop reading the Pakistani press with few exceptions. No doubt the situation is dire in the country, but listening to those who can’t help Pakistanis and reading news that are actually opinions won’t solve anything. What would help is a sustained effort to identify the problems and then to work collectively to overcome the challenges that are hurting Pakistan. Otherwise, if people continued on the current path, it would only bring misery and pain for everyone. The current crop of experts currently visible on television in Pakistan is not good for anything, except spreading more negativity. It is in the best interest of Pakistanis to take control of their destiny and not let anyone distract them by pointing fingers towards external threats. Pakistan’s biggest threat is internal and the country can no longer afford to blame the non-existent ‘foreign hand.’