Does Pakistan Have a Future? Insurgency, Debt and Social Challenges

Are you hopeful about Pakistan's future, are you disappointed, or where do you see Pakistan in the next five to ten years?

Pakistan doesn't have any future. That's a very big statement, sir. What do you mean by that?

I have given it quite a bit of thought. Are you saying that Pakistan has no future?

No future. Why not? Because in Pakistan's federation, there is an insurgency in three major areas going on.

Kashmir. Kashmir, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the friction, the polarization, which is now somewhat subdued, but it too may erupt anytime, in the urban scene and rural scene. Extra- political institutions controlling your politics,

if they don't allow your political system to function and don't facilitate its evolution, then what future will Pakistan have?

And then economic resources. We're not tapping into Pakistan's resources properly.

What do you do? You either take out loans, then there's debt servicing. Then your foreign policy objectives are far too nebulous. And you don't seem to be serious about sorting out problems with your neighbors.

And when your frontiers remain tense, your defense expenditure will increase, and when defense expenditure increases, human resource development will not be possible. And human resource development is not happening, you don't have a single world-class university. You don't have an international-standard library anywhere

in the whole country. You don't have publishing houses. What you have is extremely high unemployment. You know, you still have load shedding.

The growth of children here isn't happening because of malnutrition.

All this data is horrifying. Regarding social indicators, it was strange that I went to Nepal, and Nepal When he saw that, he took us sightseeing. And alongside me a friend was seated.

Seeing Nepal, I feel very proud of my own country.

When you look at social indicators, Nepal is way ahead of you.

Bhutan is way ahead. It is better in terms of human education. The chances of university entrance— And all the children who are— and whenever you stop at a traffic signal, all the children and women who come to beg— have you done anything? At least Imran Khan built shelters.

Back then, I used to say, for the bread he needs to eat, he should go to a shelter and eat it.

By himself. All right? So now they too have— okay, healthcare—but the basic...

There are three basic indicators. How much are you spending on education?

How much on healthcare? And is there a social security system or not?

You Education has been utterly ruined. School education is virtually non-existent.

It has been privatized. Now, if you want to send your child to any good school, I mean, I would be really nonplussed. I’d be so confused about what to do.

If you fall ill, there are private hospitals, and you get an exorbitant bill. You know, social security and other physical security, you have to hire private guards.

You know, then where is the future? Now, you know, with all this around you, tell me, what future is there?