Diet of negativity

As the government (Pakistan) fights its battle against terror, different trends are emerging which will shape society. It would be fair to argue that the current battle being fought by Pakistan, the way it is being fought and its eventual outcome will determine whether society remains liberal, marginally liberal or tips over in the other direction.

It is important to point out what these terminologies mean. The term ‘liberal’ has nothing to do with western values. It refers to the notion of tolerance and multi-polarity which were once the hallmark of the entire South Asian region. The opposite of this is not necessarily extremism but an attitude that varies between conservatism and extremism, in which there is little space for an alternative viewpoint and where society becomes extremely inward-looking. This, in turn, means a society that has little or no capacity to learn from history or review its own behaviour towards others.

In perhaps the next decade or so we will be looking at a new generation of leaders comprising today’s youth. The capacity of this generation to understand liberal values in their true spirit has dwindled. It is assumed that being liberal means pursuing western values, which is a wrong interpretation. However, youth who do not subscribe to the above have moved in a confused direction. Where are they headed? Is it social conservatism or conservative nationalism?

The new generation may turn out to be xenophobic, inward-looking and negatively nationalistic. This means their ability to review their own behaviour, especially at the national level, would not be adequate. They would not consider their own flaws with the perspective of correcting them. They would feel they are facing a hostile world which has to be fought. They may not believe in peaceful coexistence and tolerance.

Would such behaviour be considered odd? Probably not, because this is what they have learnt. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, the youth are frustrated by years of corrupt rule and poor governance and the negative reputation the country has acquired in the past couple of decades and more.

When they try to understand what is happening to them and the country, there are influenced by those who would like them to believe that Pakistan is a target of an international conspiracy to destroy it and take away its crown jewels: the state’s nuclear weapons. For them, the Kerry-Lugar bill and the interaction between ‘white’ foreigners and local people fit into the heinous plan. The conditions in the bill (now an act) — particularly the terms pertaining to civilian control of the military — are a ploy to weaken the country’s only institution.

The military subscribes to this conspiracy theory as well because, as suggested by the grapevine, there are those in the organisation who believe that the president would like to destroy the institution to strengthen himself. But even if we imagine this to be true, the fact is that most national leaders (barring the religious right) believe that strengthening civilian rule is directly proportionate to weakening the military, at least politically. Even Nawaz Sharif, whose effort to limit the milita

ry’s power led to a confrontation with the then army chief, subscribed to this belief.

The conspiracy theory mentioned above trickles down to the youth as well, which is natural due to society having become militaristic. But the more important thing is that the new heroes of the upcoming generation take the shape of rabid evangelists who do not draw upon a positive or constructive plan but build their case on past failures.

In some cases there is constant reference to the golden days of Islam. Indubitably, there were many renowned scholars who were Muslim. However, what is not told to today’s youth is that these scholars were individuals who could thrive due to the general level of tolerance and multi-polarity in society, which allowed these people to excel.

Otherwise empires are neither Muslim, Christian or of any other religion. It’s just that the rulers use religion to manipulate people and gain legitimacy. A nation’s greatness is not something that passes down from generation to generation. It depends on its ability to motivate people to create and be generally innovative. A society that does not have tolerance loses the ability to be creative in the positive sense.Moreover, states have rivals. In view of the realist paradigm states try to maximise their gains by building power, which leads to confrontation and the desire to minimise the power of others. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that foreign powers would want to influence some of Pakistan’s political decisions, especially those that affect the interests of others.

However, Pakistan’s destruction does not benefit anyone. A compliant state entity is easier to manage than a chaotic and fragmented polity. Taking control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons is too high a risk for anyone. But it is also a reality that driven by their need to have compliant decision-making by Islamabad, foreign powers have traditionally partnered governments and encouraged bad governance and corruption. This is done without understanding that such governments can only deliver in the short term and no more.

Hence, foreign stakeholders can be accused of harbouring short-term relationship plans for Pakistan. But then the issue is that this happens due to the Pakistani leadership’s inability to focus on a long-term vision for the state. This attitude has resulted in people losing a sense of ownership in the state, which is the main cause of the prevailing disarray and bleak scenarios.

Unfortunately, the youth have been raised on such negativity. Just like the generation that grew up during Gen Zia’s days, the generation that has grown up on negative images, corruption and biased opinions might prove to be equally depressed and myopic.

Surely, our political leadership must be blamed for the situation. But why not include others as well who have contributed in equal measure to the mayhem?

The writer is an independent strategic and political analyst.

Source: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspa...