Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: March 19, 2024 | 
| 中文
Launch of the recently published "Pakistan: Search for Stability" at the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI), Islamabad
A book to come out of Pakistan in the first quarter of 2024, deserves a place in every library and would be a useful tool for Pakistani decisionmakers. Pakistan: Search for Stability, is an anthology of essays contributed by well-known professionals and has been compiled and edited by Dr. Maleeha Lodhi. Described by Time magazine in 1994 as one of the 100 global pacesetters and leaders who defined the 21st century, Dr. Lodhi is amongst one of the most accomplished female professionals, with extensive experience in diplomacy, media and teaching. With a diplomatic career spanning over sixteen years, she has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States of America and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Recipient of the President’s award, Hilal-e-Imtiaz. Dr. Lodhi has a doctorate from, and holds an Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 6 February 2015 to 30 October 2019, and also served on the Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament from 2001 to 2005. She has been the editor of The News, a leading English daily of Pakistan, and prior to that, of the The Muslim. Currently, she continues to be amongst the country’s leading political commentators and thinkers. Before her latest book, Dr. Lodhi published a collection of her articles in Pakistan’s Encounter with Democracy and edited Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State.
Dr. Maleeha Lodhi
Pakistan: Search for Stability’, published by Oxford University Press, couldn’t have come out at a better time, because the country is at an inflection point in its history with a newly elected federal and provincial governments taking over. The book comprises of nineteen essays with the contributors all unified in their belief that Pakistan has the potential to alter its trajectory, solve its problems, and surmount its challenges, defining a path of recovery and rejuvenation.
Dr. Maleeha Lodhi's speech at the lauch of the book at the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI), Islamabad
The essays have been divided into 4 sections based on specific challenges with a special essay titled ‘The Relevance of History’ authored by Dr. Dushka Saiyid, noted academic, author, historian and editor of Youlin magazine. Dr. Lodhi has written the introduction and a concluding note, besides an essay ‘Faultlines and Governance Failures’.
Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid and Dr. Maleeha Lodhi during the book launch at ISSI.
Dr. Lodhi, while speaking at the launch of her book at Institute of Strategic Studies International (ISSI) said, that when she edited, Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State, she was hoping that the country would come out of its crisis. “Sadly, while one hopes that the country would have moved beyond the crisis, it hasn’t. It is still in a state of crisis, and in fact we are confronting a ‘polycrisis’, in which multiple overlapping crisis of governance, economy, politics, security, demography and environment are all converging to reinforce each other and create an overall challenge more formidable than any single crisis,” she added.
Dr. Dushka Saiyid, explores how and why the Quaid broke from the Congress, and his differences with Gandhi. The Quaid’s anti-imperialism that was manifested in his opposition to the British recruitment of Indians for the First World War, while Gandhi happily helped the British war effort. The Quaid’s legal defense of Bhagat Singh when Gandhi abandoned him on the excuse of his being violent. The Quaid had the foresight not to support the Khilafat Movement, while the wily Gandhi cultivated the Ali brothers, who helped Gandhi mobilize Muslims in this emotive cause. They were used against the Quaid at the Congress session, specially in Nagpur. The Quaid was vindicated when Ataturk abolished the Khilafat in 1922.
Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid
In the first essay of part one, Salman Akram Raja examines the fragility of democracy and the constitutional process in Pakistan. One of Pakistan’s top constitutional lawyers, his essay analyzes recurring tensions between the ambition for democratic governance and its suppression in successive constitutional projects compounded by incorporation of religion as a political and legal category often conflicting with ethno-nationalistic aspirations. Dr. Lodhi in her essay, second in this part of the book, discusses faultlines that have resulted in instability, turmoil and political turbulence. Dr. Lodhi suggests that economic revival, consensual democracy, upholding civilian supremacy, institutional reforms, education and population planning are essential for a country to navigate these fault lines. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, founder of Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), scrutinizes important milestones in Pakistan’s parliamentary history and concludes that despite dark shadows of political polarization, a silver lining can be found in enduring and widespread support for the Constitution. In the last essay of this part, “The Military’s Role in Hybrid Democracy’, Uzair Younus, Director of Pakistan Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center in Washington DC, focuses on long-term distortions in policymaking, markets, and capital allocation.
(L to R) Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Uzair Younus and Salman Akram Raja
Part two focusing on economy begins with an essay by Salman Shah, former Finance Minister of Pakistan and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Economic Affairs, and Statistics from 2004-2008. Poignantly titled, “Rising from the Ashes”, Mr. Salman Shah counts multiple factors such as visionary leadership, political stability, comprehensive transformation of economic policies, streamlining bureaucratic procedures, tax reforms and investments in institutions building and systematic monitoring for Pakistan to realize a competitive market economy with a social conscience where wealth is created, and the poor are protected. Khurram Hussain, the country’s leading economic analyst, assesses Pakistan’s economic trajectory in the 2010s, marked by crisis at the decade’s beginning and end. Murtaza Syed, Head of Ecosystem at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing and Former Deputy Governor State Bank of Pakistan examines Pakistan’s profound economic crisis in 2023, and its dependence on bailouts from IMF as the incumbent government is already preparing to negotiate the 24th bailout package for the country. In the last chapter, Ishrat Hussain, having served the country for two terms as Governor State Bank of Pakistan and country’s finest economic brain emphasizes elements essential for boosting country’s global market competitiveness, reclaiming lost market share, promoting economic growth, generating employment for the youth, and reducing reliance on external borrowing.
(L to R) Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Murtaza Syed, and Salman Shah
The next part of the book focuses on society. Adil Najam, President of the World-Wide Fund International, addresses the opportunity offered by the human capital of Pakistan, as those under thirty currently constitute two-third of its population. He suggests how the country can empower its youth to fulfil its aspirations in his stirringly titled essay “Pakistan’s Moment of Truth”. Tariq Banuri, a leading educationist and former head of the Higher Education Commission, scrutinizes the critical role of education in Pakistan’s future, while underscoring the startling figure of 22.8 million children of school going age, or one tenth of the population, currently out of school. Muhammad Amir Rana, Director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad based think tank examines the origins and catalysts of extremism and socio-cultural, political, economic, religious and economic factors that have resulted in confusion in public’s response to terrorism. Khawar Mumtaz, former Chairperson, National Commission on the Status of Women and one of the pioneering voices for gender equality in the country, draws on her years of experience to emphasize the need for better coordination in order to exert collective pressure for women’s inclusion in society, and provide a more enabling environment. Jamil Ahmed, Director UN Environment Programme, New York, in his essay “Environmental Crisis”, discusses the detrimental impact of Pakistan’s extensive environmental crisis on its socio-economic progress, with fallout on food security, malnutrition, unemployment, health problems and the water stress facing the country. Pakistan currently only has storage or carryover capacity limited to only a thirty-day supply and 80pc of its population is now forced to use unsafe drinking water. He says that according to a WHO survey, for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of between $3 and $34. In the last chapter of this part, Dr. Zeba Sathar (Tamgha-i-Imtiaz), a leading demographer of Pakistan and head of Population Council in Pakistan, highlights Pakistan’s inconsistent approach to the population-development nexus with its double population growth rate, much higher than the rest of South Asia, and recommends a turnaround through more effective population planning.
(L to R) Dr. Adil Najam, Khawar Mumtaz, Jamil Ahmed, and Dr. Zeba Sathar
In the first essay of the last part, focusing on foreign policy, Riaz Mohammad Khan, who was foreign secretary of Pakistan from 2005 to 2008 and Pakistan Ambassador to China, Belgium, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan has an essay on, “Pakistan-China: Permanent Friend”. He provides a thorough assessment of the long-standing and stable relationship between Pakistan and China spanning six decades. Based on convergence of interest sand mutual understanding between the two nations, even in the face of changing global and regional dynamics, Ambassador Khan traces the historical evolution of this “all-weather” friendship, and emphasizes the currently expanded economic cooperation under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He emphasizes that despite the vast cultural and structural differences between the two societies, there are specific aspects of China’s accomplishments which hold valuable lessons for Pakistan. There is a clear need to continuously nurture this relationship, particularly in areas of trade, economic engagement, and people-to-people contacts. Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, a veteran of Pakistan’s foreign service having served as Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to the USA and the Netherlands, explores Pakistan-India relations identifying several factors that could foster closeness between the two states with a historically strained relationship. Sadia Sulaiman, Assistant Professor at the Area Study Centre for Africa, North & South America, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, delves into the complexities of the US-Pakistan relationship, exphasizing opportunities for enhanced cooperation. In the last chapter of the book, Zahid Hussain, an award-winning author and journalist, scrutinizes Pakistan’s challenges following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.
(L to R) Zahid Hussain, Riaz Mohammad Khan, and Aizaz Chaudhry
All in all, Pakistan: Search for Stability showcases a range of viewpoints and perspectives, yet all authors share the conviction that meaningful change necessitates bold reforms. A recurring theme throughout the text is that a robust state can only emerge through a comprehensive reform agenda that confronts Pakistan’s deep-seated and structural problems.
Pakistan: Search for Stability’ is available at all leading book stores across the country or can be ordered online from Oxford University Press website: https://oup.com.pk/
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