Is Pakistan moving towards a collapse bit by bit? The question is enough to astound people who are yet to get familiar with the worsening situations in the country, albeit I don’t know who is still unconscious of the degeneration in the Pakistani mainland. Ever since Pakistan intensified its onslaughts against the dreaded Taliban outfits (allegedly under US pressure), the situation is gradually yet steadily going out of the frying pan into the fire. Of late one of the bloodiest bombings in more than two years that killed at least 89 people makes us more skeptical of the chance of reinstatement of the Muslim republic that occupies the heartland of ancient south Asian civilization in the Indus River valley.
The attack took place at volleyball game on Friday and hinted Al Qaeda-linked Taliban insurgents were focusing more on bombing large crowds of civilians. Reason? This is perhaps the best way to them to wreak highest casualties and spread terror, rather than attacking hard targets such as security forces. What has been the fallout then? Not only the blast has pushed the whole country towards the wall and made its foremost ally USA incredulous of Pakistan’s potency, it has also enraged the overwhelming Muslim bourgeoisie, seen fuming and raising voices of protest for the first time.
Even though no such drastic measure has been adopted by US, known for considering Pakistan as the key frontline state in the war against a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, it is alarmed without a shred of doubt.
Now the question remains who can salvage the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in this hours of need. Will the Pakistani President be able to take up the cudgel for the hapless country? Even the Pakistanis, in particular the patriotic intellectuals have lost confidence almost and as per them, beleaguered President Asif Ali Zardari is under pressure on several fronts, both at home and from abroad. While on one hand he is at loggerheads with the omnipotent Pakistani military establishment, on the other hand his close aides are awaiting to cope with rejuvenated corruption charges.
Again, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervz Kayani (though on a different issue and regarding India majorly) said "An army supported by 170 million people, with faith in Allah, is a formidable force to reckon with." But even this force is failing to gratify its guardians in the West, as it has not been able to trounce the militants thus far.
Militants, if we rely on an assortment of studies, have successfully exploited hardships to recruit sensitive young men with promises of magnificent holy war. What should be done then? analysts opine that the government has to win the confidence of millions of Pakistanis suffering from poverty and lack of basic services such as electricity and this can be done if a pseudo-feudalistic, pseudo-capitalist economy is transformed to a modern one.
Is this possible? Perhaps not and this deficiency is heightening internal dissensions, quite enough to balkanize Pakistan and spiflicate the most potent representative of Islamic Ummah for the time being.
What conclusion can be drawn? The country that was born through overwhelming violence, arsons, fratricides and certainly genocides is certain to undergo a violent collapse before long and with this the dream of a powerful, poised, technically sound, self-determining Muslim middle-class, considered by many analysts as more lethal than even Islamic hardliners or militants, will end forever.
