MAKING PAKISTAN A TENABLE STATE

Pakistan is a country in trouble, a state unhinged, insecure and volatile. The ruling elites face formidable difficulties in tverning the country. Notwithstanding the help and tronage from the United States and its allies, the brute lysical power of the civil and military services and their sociates from the banking, industry, trade, landed and tribal istocracy are unable to protect life, property and honour ‘the citizens. Large scale corruption and crime flourish. to  maintain their hold on power, the rulers have resorted to extreme  measures such as replacing the justices of the superior courts and pardoning massive criminal acts of  politicos to secure their cooperation in governance.Nations and nationalities are up in arms against the highly entralised government in Islamabad. They are demanding  genuine democratic governance with widest possible autonomy. The working classes deprived of their due wages in production of goods and services live on the brink of absolute poverty deprived of nourishing food, potable water supply, proper living quarters and facilities of health care and education. The apparatus ofthe state blatantly violates human rights of the citizens. The overwhelming majority is powerless against such violations and is not in a position to get its grievances redressed. Women, children and members of the minority communities suffer the most.For years, the deteriorating external political and security environment and internal situation ofthe country has caused deep concern among students of national and international affairs. For years they have expressed apprehension in their newspaper columns, conferences, seminars and private discussions about the future course of events. Early this year, some of them agreed to think through the issues involved and consider producing a joint paper. Extensive exchange of views over electronic mail and private discussions were followed by a two day conference in April 2008. Unanimously the twelve participants who attended the conference concluded that under the present structure of governance and policies of political oppression and economic exploitation, the state of Pakistan was untenable.What outline proposals should be evolved to steer the ship of the state towards a tenable Pakistan seemed an awe­inspiring undertaking. It was approached with vigour and optimism. The violation of the principles offederalism and disregard of the imperatives of running the federating units on genuine democratic lines are so blatant and obvious that it was relatively easy to express them in a joint document and suggest measures to make the state of Pakistan tenable. Men and women of independent views have expressed their views with feeling and dedication and the result is presented in the following pages with a sense of humility.