Every year, the people of Pakistan celebrate 23 March as Pakistan Day, with great enthusiasm and zeal. But this time, this day has come at a time when Pakistan is facing multi-faceted internal and external challenges, which are worrying all the citizens.
Analysts agree that in the post-election scenario, Pakistan’s multiple crises and challenges would increase and the stakes for the new coalition government would be enormously high. The most immediate task for the government would be to negotiate a new bailout agreement with the IMF, which has started, as the country has to seek a new loan of at least $6 billion to repay debt due this year to avoid a default and stabilise the economy.
In the recent election, Nawaz Sharif’s party, the PML(N), has gained a simple majority, while the leadership of the PTI claims the election results had been changed to divest the party of a two-thirds majority in Parliament— the PTI-backed independents have emerged as the largest group in the Lower House.
With the support of other parties, especially the PPP, Mian Shehbaz Sharif, PML(N) leader, secured a comfortable win over the PTI, and PTI leader Omar Ayub became opposition leader.
The newly elected National Assembly met for the first time with lawmakers taking oaths amid protests on the floor of the House by supporters of the Sunni Ittehad Council and PTI. Similar practice continued in the provincial assemblies.
In his maiden speech in the National Assembly, Premier Sharif listed the frail economy and precarious security situation as challenges, and invited all the political entities to pull the country out of the crisis.
The PML(N), PPP and some other political parties also asked the PTI for cooperation so as to achieve political stability. But, the PTI leaders refused any such collaboration, alleged rigging in the elections.
Following PTI blame game, JUI(F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who had confirmed the contacts with the PTI, announced on March 3, that the party will sit on opposition benches and organize a nationwide movement against the alleged vote rigging.
But, the PML(N) and some other parties opine that if elections were rigged or establishment interfered against the PTI, PTI-backed independents would not have swept the polls in KP, winning 91 out of 113 seats, with PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur elected CM.
Notably, military’s media wing ISPR said in a statement that the Corps Commanders’ Conference held on March 5, clarified the army had provided a security environment for the conduct of the general election, and had nothing to do with the electoral process.
Top military commanders reiterated their commitment that planners and instigators, and attackers of military installations on May 9, would be brought to justice under the relevant provisions of the law. They expressed dismay that some vested segments of the polity and media, especially social media, had been maligning the armed forces with unsubstantiated allegations of interference rather than focusing on real issues such as good governance, economic recovery and political stability.
Next day, in an informal conversation with media representatives during the hearing of a case inside Adiala Jail, Khan, who was openly criticizing the Army in the past, took a U-turn, and stated that the PTI was not against the Army and emphasised that the criticism over election rigging was not the criticism of the Army— the PML(N) and the CEC were responsible. He stressed that without political stability, the country could not function.
In a surprise development, KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur on March 14 met Prime Minister Sharif and was satisfied with this first engagement, terming it positive. Gandapur stated that during the meeting, he stressed on the need for political dialogue with PTI founder Imran Khan. Nevertheless, these indications show that he has changed his stance.
The government, the opposition leaders, including all other segments of society must act upon the essence of the Pakistan Day by showing selfless national unity which is very necessary to pull the country out of the ongoing serious crises.
On the one hand, PTI workers continue protest rallies against rigging, while on the other, the PTI has also filed cases in this respect— also about forms 45 and 47. It shows an ambivalent approach.
At this critical hour, Pakistan’s armed forces have been coping with internal and external challenges to maintain national security. Indian fanatic rulers are also escalating tensions with Pakistan. The country is thus facing the challenge of hybrid war.
Some internal entities have been distorting the Army’s image in a way that the masses should forget the sacrifices and services of the armed forces.
Recall armed forces’ innumerable services and sacrifices particularly of Army such as the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons during the Swat and Malakand military operations, counter-insurgency operations and restoration of law and order on many occasions— like floods, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic, locusts’ attacks; also giving matching response to Indian shelling at the LoC and stopping infiltration of terrorists from Afghanistan.
However, it was due to the selfless practical unity among the Muslims under the leadership of the Quaid-i-Azam that Pakistan became a tangible reality on 14 August 1947. But that unity started declining after passing through various crises, and the result was separation of East Pakistan in 1971, as India manipulated differences between East Pakistan and West Pakistan.
Now, more than three and half months have passed. But, the Indian fanatic government continued military lockdown in Indian-Occupied Kashmir.
The Modi-led regime unilaterally abrogated Indian-Occupied Kashmir’s special status on 5 August 2019 when Indian Parliament revoked Articles 35A and 370 of its Constitution. It also split the IIOJK into two territories to be ruled directly by New Delhi. The purpose was to turn the Muslim majority into a minority.
Modi had got landslide victories in 2014 and 2019. During the election campaign, the Hindu majority was mobilized on ‘hate-Muslim’ and ‘anti-Pakistan’ jargons. Hence, Modi continues anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan policies.
Former Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir have frequently said that Pakistan’s armed forces are fully ready to meet any prospective Indian aggression.
Internally, Pakistan’s armed forces and the country’s primary intelligence agency ISI have successfully broken the backbone of the foreign-backed terrorists. Peace has been restored in the Balochistan province and Karachi.
Despite this, in the recent past, terrorist attacks particularly in KP and Balochistan which is central point of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor show that the CIA-led Indian RAW wants to damage the CPEC project which is part of China’s One Road (OBOR) or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as the US and India have already opposed this project.
Nevertheless, 23 March 1940 was a watershed in the history of the Subcontinent, when the All India Muslim League passed the Resolution in Lahore for the creation of an independent state. Now, it is popularly called Pakistan Resolution.
Earlier, in his address to the Muslim League at Allahabad in 1930, the idea of a homeland for Muslims in their majority areas had been envisioned by the poet Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal, and had become the aspiration of Indian Muslims.
In fact, the British colonialists in connivance with the majority Hindu population had manipulated and targeted Muslims through every possible way. In that background, Muslims started to struggle for a separate state.
Prior to the Lahore session of Muslim League, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had specified to this historical congregation of the Muslims, the watch-words of ‘Faith, Unity and Discipline’ which were not only necessary for waging the battle for an independent homeland, but also for present Pakistan.
The government, the opposition leaders, including all other segments of society must act upon the essence of the Pakistan Day by showing selfless national unity which is very necessary to pull the country out of the ongoing serious crises.
