Zia Sarhadi
Pakistan continues to sink deeper into an ever-spiralling crisis that is entirely avoidable. There is a straightforward explanation for this: the military’s bloody-minded attitude. It has controlled every facet of life in the country and refuses to confine its activities to the primary role they are supposed to perform: protect the country’s borders. For the record, the military has failed miserably in fulfilling this primary responsibility.
Instead, it has barged into other domains for which it is totally unqualified. The mess that Pakistan faces today is the direct result of the military’s meddling in politics, economics, the judiciary and social spheres. It acts as an occupation army terrorizing people that dare to question its illegal intrusion in other spheres of life.
Pakistan’s latest bout of convulsion began on April 9, 2022 when Imran Khan’s government was ousted from power through an army-engineered coup. This was demanded by the Americans because Imran Khan wanted to make Pakistan truly independent. After years of chaos and disruption, Imran Khan’s government was beginning to make some headway in economic and social spheres. There was absolutely no justification for his removal from power.
He had steered the country out of economic doldrums. People were beginning to feel optimistic after years of despondency and frustration. All the economic indicators were positive. More importantly, Imran Khan initiated social welfare programs that helped cushion the desperately poor to provide them some relief. For this “crime”, he is being hounded and kept in appalling conditions in jail on totally bogus charges.
After ousting him from prime minister, the army installed a bunch of criminals and murderers in power whose 17-month stint has been an unmitigated disaster. While they are gone, Pakistan’s woes continue to multiply. True to their troublesome meddling nature, the army continues to manipulate the political, economic and judicial systems from behind the scenes.
There is supposedly a “caretaker” government whose sole function, according to the constitution, is to hold elections within 90 days. Yet few people believe there will be elections any time soon. Instead, there are grave fears that the army plans to cling to power indefinitely. As part of this plot, it is trying to destroy all the political parties and create a single party that it will control directly.
The men in khaki indulge in such destabilizing actions because they think they know everything. They don’t. They are not very bright although they loathe to admit this. The only reason they are able to get away with their crimes is because they have the guns and tanks.
They were provided such weapons, at enormous expense and by sacrificing the well-being of the people, so that they would defend the country against external enemies. They have failed to do so. In every war against India, their performance has been dismal.
Unable to fight the external enemy, primarily India that has made enormous progress economically, the army has turned its guns against the people of Pakistan. The people are treated with disdain while the army hides in high-walled gated communities across the length and breadth of the country. Consuming enormous resources of state, the men in uniform demand even more.
Let us see what the army, or more specifically the top brass (generals and brigadiers), stand for. They are completely subservient to the US. Almost all of them have properties in the US, Canada, Europe or Australia. Their family members have foreign citizenship. The army is nothing more than a mercenary force available for hire.
Destruction of the economy over the last 17-18 months is complete. Exports have dwindled because industrial production has stopped. Foreign exchange reserves are non-existent. So, what do these smart men plan to do? Sell state assets as well as mines, minerals and agricultural land.
The plans they have announced are mindboggling. Early last month, the army chief, General Asim Munir went around meeting businessmen in different cities (also see here) announcing that $75-$100 billion worth of investment will flow into the country over the next three to five years. And where will these dollars come from? Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, of course, as the general informs us helpfully. Why would they throw money into a sinking hole? The Arab rulers are no fools.
Pakistan’s own Bill Gates (or whatever successful businessman you fancy), general Munir says he has convinced the Arab rulers (he used the words, “told them”!) to part with their money and invest in Pakistan. What is he offering them in return?
The general says that the Saudis have agreed to invest $10-$12 billion in the Reko Diq gold and copper mine in Baluchistan. They have also agreed to set up a $10 billion refinery in Gwadar. Further, general Munir has said that the Arabs will invest in developing land for agriculture purposes. The army will provide protection and guarantee security.
It is important to look at these grandiose plans past the general’s blinkered view. Even if the Arab rulers agree to invest such huge sums—a big if—it will take years to materialize. After all, the refinery project has been talked about since 2009 and nothing concrete has materialized. The Riko Deq mine development is similarly problematic.
Barrick Gold owns 50 percent of the shares while the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan own the other 50 percent split 30 to 20 percent respectively. Who will divest their shares to hand them over to the Saudis? True, the mine’s potential is supposed to be about $4 trillion. This is a huge amount but realizing this potential is a major challenge.
When Asif Zardari was the president—this is no joke, Pakistan has had this mega-thief as its president—he sold the Reko Diq mine for $6 billion to Barrick Gold. Of course, he received a hefty bribe. It was the then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry who stopped the deal. Barrick Gold sued Pakistan and was awarded $9 billion in damages, money the country did not have.
Under Imran Khan’s government, the deal was renegotiated and the fine was averted. It is now back to the negotiating table and new players want to get their cut. The elite in Pakistan never learn; they are beyond reform.
There are other disasters looming. Donald Blome, the American ambassador operates like a viceroy. The inferiority complex-stricken Pakistani elite cannot imagine life without American approval. Blome struts about the country not only meeting political leaders, he has also met the election commissioner as well as the chief of Punjab police. It is a notorious outfit operated by criminals and murderers. Blome’s meeting with the police chief was interpreted as a green signal to continue the rape and murder of innocent people.
He even visited the Gwadar port on September 12 and met businessmen as well as political leaders promising to invest in the area. Gwadar was developed by China as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is an important component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a trillion-dollar project that links most of West and Central Asia with Russia and Europe.
America wants to scuttle the BRI and CPEC. Unfortunately, the Pakistani generals are willing accomplices in this disruptive plan. They would rather destroy Pakistan than incur America’s displeasure.
China is Pakistan’s neighbour; America is 10,000 kms away. Islamabad’s experience shows that the US has always used Pakistan and then abandoned it. Why would it act any differently today?
So, why are Pakistani generals so desperate to repeat the same mistake again and again? Pakistan’ tragedy is that the generals cannot see beyond their noses. They only think of the here and now, not what will happen two or five years down the line. Their ill-conceived plans are inflicting enormous harm on ordinary people and leading the country toward destruction.
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