Pakistan must not be abandoned
Pakistan was left to rot after helping the west win its last war in
Afghanistan. It must not be abandoned again
Mohsin Hamid
Monday October 15, 2001
The Guardian
It may be hard, with bearded rioters filling their televisions, for
westerners to see Pakistan as a bride left at the altar. But that is
how
many Pakistanis view their relationship with the fickle west, and they
have
good reason to do so. In the 1980s, when Pakistan signed up as
America's
ally in the west's last war in Afghanistan, the war against the
Soviets,
Pakistan was rewarded with billions of dollars of military hardware and
economic aid. But Pakistan paid a price: heroin flooded our cities,
Kalashnikovs became common on our streets and young boys were left
trained
for jihad instead of university.
When the Soviets were defeated, Pakistan did not share in the
long-awaited
peace dividend. Although the country was making its transition from
dictatorship to democracy, aid began to dwindle and the rhetoric of
western
governments became increasingly unfriendly. Pakistan was left with
training
camps for religious guerrillas, a mountain of debt, 2m Afghan refugees
and
little else.
Certainly, Pakistan's own leaders bear much of the blame. Corrupt,
ineffectual and often deeply hypocritical, the governments of Benazir
Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif tried to go forward and backward at once,
burnishing their religious credentials while hoping to attract western
investors. But, at the same time, the west did recoil from us with
unseemly
haste once its war was won. It began treating Pakistan like an
impoverished
Muslim nation with no oil to export. But Pakistan had been this all
along.
To ignore a girl's hairy moles the night before, when one's need is
strong,
and then to shame her for them in the morning, well, as the Texans say,
that's not real nice.
It is not surprising that most Pakistanis do not support America's
bombardment of Afghanistan. The Afghans are neighbours on the brink of
starvation and devastated by war. America has shown itself to be
untrustworthy, a superpower that uses its values as a scabbard for its
sword. Avenging the horrible deaths of thousands by putting millions
more
at risk is an act deeply lacking in compassion, and one unlikely to
reduce
the hatred that makes America unsafe.
Yet, forced to decide whether to back their government in a showdown
with
our own religious extremists, most Pakistanis are clear about the
future
they desire. They do not want a medieval theocracy. They want jobs and
access to the markets and knowledge and entertainment of the wider
world.
What many in the west do not realise is that Pakistan is a land where
satellite dishes are not uncommon, where teenagers who have never been
to
America manage to smuggle in bits and pieces of American accents. In
the
decade of democracy that lasted through the 90s, religious parties
never
captured more than a few per cent of the vote.
But when the economy is stagnant, democracy has sputtered out and
growing
numbers of young people find themselves ill-equipped for a workforce
that
they in any case lack the right connections to enter, then the appeal
of an
Islamist ideology that challenges these injustices grows strong.
Pakistan is making a dangerous gamble by confronting its religious
right.
The country is betting that it will not be torn in two, that its leader
will not be assassinated, that it will not be plunged into anarchy.
Now that it has taken this risk, the country needs the west to stand
firm
beside it. Not by providing weaponry. Not even by rescheduling debt,
though
that, of course, will help. What Pakistan mainly needs is the openness
that
comes when fear recedes, but Pakistan needs that openness now, when the
west is still fearful. Pakistanis need jobs. We need access to
purchasers
for our goods, investors in our industries. With these things come
greater
growth and stability, which then become self-reinforcing.
Pakistan needs a partnership to start this process, a coming together
for
the long term. Without it, the 3m people who swell our population each
year
will sink deeper into poverty, and the ideologies that appeal to
memories
of a better past will gain appeal.
As your television fills with hundreds of angry young Pakistani men
burning
American flags, look at the background. There you will see Pepsi signs
and
shuttered windows. And behind the windows, know that there are millions
of
people expressing their hope by refusing to join the crowds. And
remember
that those millions pray for a safe and prosperous life in the modern
world, and fear above all else the possible consequences of a second
abandonment. |
