By Dr. Manzur Ejaz

It is a general observation that in repressive regimes the rulers often create fantasy lands based on imaginary enemies that can obscure the realities of life. The core of Pakistani state has followed the pattern that is a norm in most Middle East countries where anti-America obsession is used by kings and ‘elected’ dictators as a device to detract people.

Originally published by Dawn

Pakistan’s core state, like the Middle Eastern rulers, is successful in inducing hatred against the so-called foreign enemies to divert attention from deteriorating governance, political anarchy and socio-economic conditions. However, when the masses wake up from anesthetised slumber, like the people of Tunisia, Egypt and Syria, the ruling elite’s long perpetuated façade falls apart. Pakistan seems to be getting there fast if one takes into account the crises it faces.

It is worthwhile to examine if Pakistan’s inner concrete conditions have any correlation with the foreign powers. For that we have to summarise Pakistan’s major problems or what the economists call stylised facts and then see if they are home grown or caused by external influence.

1.  Pakistan is accumulating unprecedented debts through printing money causing uncontrollable inflation impacting all sectors of the economy.

2.  Basic amenities and utilities like electricity, fuel, gas and water remain in short supply.  The rising cost of such inputs via rising indirect taxes is making Pakistani products uncompetitive in the international markets and unaffordable domestically. This in turn has caused the level of poverty to rise.

3.  Pakistan’s population growth is one of the highest in the world: it has grown four-fold in the last four decades. Along with unsustainable population growth, urbanisation at a 700 per cent rate has been unprecedented without any improvement of infrastructure in the cities.

4.   Violence, lawlessness, corruption, nepotism and political anarchy are rampant. Political formations have become family run mafias who are, in one way or the other, in cahoots with military that has been ruling directly or indirectly.

5.  Pakistani state has not been providing necessary services like health and education resulting in lower literacy level and spread of diseases. Hepatitis is one of the most prevalent diseases in Pakistan and though it is preventable, not much of an effort is being made.

Any one of the five major facts that have been listed above is enough to ruin a country without external intervention. Nevertheless, it is useful to explain each condition and see if foreign intervention can be blamed for that. Following is our explanation for the facts listed above:

1.  Pakistan’s debilitating debt levels are mostly caused by exorbitant spending without matching the income of the state. A large part of the deficits is due to uncalled for military spending, ruling elite’s irresponsible consumption and leakages (corruption). On top of it, the top ten per cent of the wealth holders do not pay taxes and the treasury looses major source of income. Every country is being run by matching spending the state’s spending with taxes: it is a universal law. So, one cannot blame any external power but the ruling elites.

Inflation is also caused by the very economic model adopted by Musharraf’s economic team who believed that by raising the demand level (consumerism) through easy credit, faster growth rates can be achieved. Easy money was created through printing the money which caused higher inflation.

2.   Shortages of key inputs and necessary goods are mainly due to a terrible governance, nepotism and population growth. If the state institutions are incompetent and the population has increased from 67,491,000 in 1970 to 187,343,000 in 2011, why shortages would not develop? Can we blame outsiders for a mammoth population growth and the incompetent government?

3.  Population growth rates are mostly affected by society’s ideological preferences: the rise of religious conservatism triggered by military rulers is the major reasons. Successive governments have been pandering to the religious zealots besides their own odd preferences. One can blame Saudi Arabia for inducing such trends but that is a poor excuse: it is our own doing.

4.  Rising rate of violent deaths is where people blame the US for dragging Pakistan into war on terrorism. However, if looked at it more closely, more people are dying in Karachi and in other parts of the country than, may be, in war zone of Pak-Afghan border. The number of violent deaths due to sectarian conflicts, honour killings and lawlessness dwarf the killings in war on terrorism. Mob murders, attacks on security agencies, particularly police, not only by religious extremist outfits but by common citizens have become commonplace. If one includes the rising number of suicides—it is a form of violent death too—due to economic despair one can see the real picture. Therefore, even if we blame the US war on terror, it only explains a small fraction of violent deaths.

5.  Non-provision of services is an issue created by the state and seems to be the ruling elite’s priority which is manifested in high defence expenditures and very low allocations for education and health. Take for instance the large number of Hepatitis cases in Pakistan, a preventable disease, which shows criminal negligence of state institutions.

It is self evident that Pakistan’s pathetic conditions are due to internal causes and have nothing to do with the US, India, Israel or anybody else. And, yet our intelligentsia, media and political operators pay more attention to foreign powers than on the real culprits. A small friction with the US becomes the main topic of talk-shows, newspaper columns and political circles.

Pakistani opinion makers have chosen to buy into a fantasy land where they can blame the foreign powers for everything and not pay attention to the inner dynamics of the society. South Korea is much more aligned with the US—the superpower has military bases in that country—and yet it has become a well developed, industrialised society. The difference is that South Korea had thorough land reforms and its ruling elite are much more focused on domestic development than blaming the imaginary or real foreign enemies. As a matter of fact, many East Asian countries have followed this model and are industrialised by now. It’s about time we turn out backs to the fantasy land or else things will only continue to worsen.

Dr Manzur Ejaz is a poet, author, a political commentator and a cultural activist. He is a Doctor of Economics and currently lives in Washington DC.