Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aggressive diplomacy resulting in a likelihood that India may enter the Missile Technology Control Regime (MCTR) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) hasn’t gone down well with Pakistan. Islamabad’s last-moment efforts backed by China to stall India’s membership only give credence to the hatred Islamabad harbours for New Delhi.
Whether Pakistan likes it or not, India is now a global power to reckon with. On the contrary, despite riding piggyback on China, Pakistan has hardly reaped any benefit. But does the Pakistani establishment ever ponder over the real reasons behind the nation losing ground?
The problem comes from within. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan suffers from too many archaic practices which don’t stand it in good stead. Any discussion on Pakistan centres around its ‘clandestine’ support to terrorists. Facts and figures substantiate it. But deep down, extreme conservatism leading to brutality puts the country in the dock.
Take a note of three latest incidents which defamed Pakistan. A school-teacher in Murree is killed because of her refusal to marry a man much elder to her. The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) recommends that men can lightly beat their spouses if they don’t obey their orders. A woman from Lahore burns her daughter alive for marrying the person she loved.
These incidents are good enough to show Pakistan in an abysmal light on various international forums. At a time when India’s presence globally is being acknowledged, Pakistan is severely afflicted by fundamentalism that is bereft of any logic.
And it is these obsolete ideas that are encashed by outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Taliban, IS and others to foment trouble on the Pakistani soil. There’s a trend to raise the name of religion and impose meaningless ideas on people and it’s all engineered by the Mullahs. But who has the audacity to stop them? In the process innocent lives are taken.
The problem with Pakistan is its fragile democracy. Anybody with modern thoughts has to acquiesce to the whims and fancies of religious elements. Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy had to face flak back home for supporting women’s cause through her short documentary A Girl in the River. Neither the Nawaz Sharif government nor the army shows any strong urge to take the bull by its horns. The result is: rampant human-rights violations.
Compare Pakistan to India and the latter is on a much better platform because of its civil society. Religious radicalism meets with vehement protests from intellectuals and students. The Dadri lynching incurred so much of wrath that awards were returned by distinguished personalities. The media doesn’t mince words when deceptive blasphemy is propagated by religious ‘messiahs’. However, it would be wrong to say there are no human rights violations in India, but vis-à-vis Pakistan, the incidence is lesser.
On the contrary, Pakistan continues to be a pawn at the hands of extremists. The religious minorities in the country live in a fear zone unlike in India. Indian Muslim women can actually stand up against the triple talaq system. According to a report by the Amnesty International on Pakistan, “Religious minorities, both Muslim and non-Muslim, continued to face laws and practices that resulted in discrimination and persecution…. Blasphemy laws remained in force, mostly in Punjab province; they applied to people of all religions but were disproportionately used against religious minorities.”
Given this scenario, it’s not surprising that Pakistan is making more enemies than friends. Iran, Afghanistan and USA prefer India to Pakistan. And that leaves Pakistan with only China to bank on. But let’s not forget a strong anti-China block is on the cards which certainly puts the Chinese government in a no-win situation. Apprehending isolation China may not hesitate to walk out on Pakistan. If that is to happen, Pakistan will be in a tight spot without friends.
Can Islamabad afford it? Instead of taking India on, Pakistan should now focus on strengthening democratic values and open the windows for fresh air to enter. In a country where a minister makes objectionable remarks at a lady lawmaker in the parliament and still gets away with it, there’s a lot to worry about.
Wake up Pakistan, it’s time!
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