Troubled, but tough - welcome to Pakistan

By Mudassar Ali Iqbal 

“Pakistan, though a deeply troubled state, is also a tough one.” 

Pakistan or ‘the Land of the Pure’ has been through many ups and downs throughout its more than seven-decade long journey. 

Three full-scale wars, disintegration in 1971, religious extremism, fanaticism, terrorism, political instability, unemployment, foreign interventions, floods, droughts and climate change are some of the challenges it has been facing for long. 

For some scholars Pakistan is a ‘weak state,’ for others it is a ‘failed state’ and many consider it as a ‘failing state’ for being mired in internal and external problems.

Much has been written about the grim situation of Pakistan and the book “Pakistan: A Hard Country” is among those works. The book, however, speaks about resilience and strength of society despite the fact that the country faces many odds. 

Anatol Lieven, a British journalist, wrote this book after closely observing Pakistani society, politics and institutions. He has affinity to the subcontinent for being the son of a British-Indian civil servant under colonial administration.

Lieven was correspondent of The London Times in 1980s and visited Pakistan many times. His journalistic contacts helped him approach Pakistani elites and laymen alike. During his research work he met officials, Taliban sympathisers, scholars, and the man in the street. 

His book is a combination of historical, political and anthropological observations about Pakistan. In this descriptive work which spans more than 500 pages, Lieven has done the chapterisation of all provinces which he titled the Punjab, the Sindh, the Balochistan and the Pathan province. 

Taking all of them one by one Lieven sheds light on deeply embedded ‘Biradari’ system in Punjab, Tribal system in Balochistan, racial loyalties in NWFP (now KP) and feudal setup in Sindh. He explains how these associations supersede every other loyalty or consideration from general businesses to state institutions. This system of patronage and kinship ultimately gives rise to system of corruption, bribery and nepotism, he argues.

Surprisingly, throughout the book Lieven challenges the established status quo at many points as he speaks about malfunctioning of almost all institutions. He comes out as an admirer of Pakistan Army as an institution. He praises the discipline, order and functioning of army, despite talking about its alleged role in politics in Pakistan’s history.

Lieven declares Pakistan Army another ‘family’ or ‘biradari’ who stands by its members through thick and thin.

According to Lieven, religious extremism and fanaticism are major threats to Pakistani society but they are not strong enough to overthrow Islamabad. In this regard he talks about Sufism and Barelvi school of thought, which is a major reason that caused failure of Taliban in imposition of their ideology en masse in Pakistan.

The book provides a fine depiction of the system of Sufi saints and their socio-political role in Pakistan. Lieven shares his detailed experience of attending the annual ceremony or ‘urs’ held at ‘Sehwan’ in Sindh at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qlandar.

Along with deep insights about Pakistan at various points Lieven provides comparative analysis of Pakistan with the Europe of Past. Feudalism, deeply embedded patronage, poverty, illiteracy, corruption, conflicts and wars were attributes of Europe in the past.

Besides Europe, Lieven also speaks about India where too democracy could not flourish like it did in Europe and West. He talks about massive poverty, religious intolerance and oppression against women in India.

One thing that Lieven considers very surprising is the energy, hospitality and strength of Pakistanis as a nation. When he recalls his visits to various areas of Pakistan in Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan, he mentions widespread anti-American sentiment but at the same time he praises the way people warmly welcome him and offer food.

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The book offers a deep analysis of social, political and institutional image of Pakistan. Though this book covers major aspects, few things seem a bit exaggerated. For instance, while recalling his visit to an area in NWFP, Lieven writes; “While I was seeing them playing football, I was afraid that perhaps my head could be used as a football to play.”

And also, the book speaks about the stories about Sufi saints and their professed supernatural abilities along with the hopeless picture of the state, its public and its institutions.

As there is always room for improvement for everything, so does for Pakistan. As Esposito says; “Democracy is the continuous process of trial and error.”

So, in comparison to successful democracies in West, the democracy in Pakistan is in its infancy. But there is hope that the country will succeed by leaps and bounds.