Stocktaking of our national power

In my column on August 03, while declaring Pakistan’s 61st Independence Day as an auspicious occasion to celebrate, I had also struck a note of concern in view of the internal and external challenges that the nation faced today.

The political crisis compounded by the impending impeachment of the president was big enough a cause to ring alarm bells even if the economy was sound and stable and other pillars of state were functioning in a normal manner. However, in the present scenario, every sector of the state seems to be not in a healthy frame, to say the least. In short, nothing appears to be going right, be it economy, law and order, food situation, water management etc.

Without our nuclear deterrence, we could not cope with the security of our Eastern border with India and Line of Control in IHK. With a state of insurgency in the tribal belt of our Western border coupled with terrorism in certain areas on the increase, the new democratic government since February 18 has been burdened with more than its capacity to handle in view of the internal rifts within the four party ruling alliance and within each major party.

The Forward Blocks of sorts and the so-called independent members of parliament seem to be having swell time as they hold the balance of power to swing the impeachment vote, which at the moment has become the focal point of determining the fate of democracy and the future of Pakistan.