What a country we inhabit! A land with immense natural wealth, and boundless human potential, yet, strangled daily by those who pretend to be its guardians. We live in a place where so-called experts, self-proclaimed intellectuals, opportunistic politicians, retired officers who traded conscience for perks, and Hawkish power brokers, whose outward bluster masks inner cowardice, dictate the national discourse.
Instead of discussing the Constitutional rule of law, the fundamental rights of citizens, or the grinding poverty that shackles millions, they indulge in petty quarrels, shallow narratives, and divisive agendas.
Their voices thunder on television screens, in drawing rooms, and in press conferences — but never on the true agonies of the people. Not once do they pause to speak of the miseries of the unemployed youth, the despair of underpaid workers, or the humiliation of those forced to beg for basic necessities.
They remain silent on the plight of families without access to clean drinking water, the millions living without electricity or internet, the mothers who bury children due to malnutrition, and the citizens suffocating in a polluted environment stripped of dignity.
Is this the role of leadership? Is this the responsibility of those who claim to speak for Pakistan?
The betrayal of the people
The tragedy of Pakistan is not a lack of resources or opportunities. The tragedy is betrayal — a betrayal by its elites, who prefer to trade away conscience and dignity for their personal comfort. These men and women, who strut about as experts, intellectuals, and patriots, have no qualms about mortgaging the nation’s future.
They deliberately thrive on manufactured narratives that distract the people from real crises: chronic bad governance, the absence of genuine accountability, rampant inefficiency, and corruption that has seeped into every institution.
Public resources, earned through the sacrifices of ordinary citizens, are squandered on elite privileges and vanity projects while unemployment, crushing inflation, and collapsing institutions suffocate the people.
Justice is delayed, healthcare denied, education neglected, and public service reduced to personal gain — yet the national discourse remains hijacked by shallow debates, ensuring that the cycle of plunder, mismanagement, and despair continues unchallenged. It is no coincidence that Pakistan remains stuck in a vicious cycle of chronic crises.
When the world moves ahead into the age of Generative Artificial Intelligence, when globalization of IKRID (Information, Knowledge, Research, Innovation, Development) and the sci-tech human power complex are reshaping civilization at an exponential rate, Pakistan remains trapped in the swamp of petty power games. Why? It is because the country’s discourse has been hijacked by those allergic to progress, reluctant to reform, and afraid of peoples’ empowerment.
Lessons of history ignored
Have we forgotten that this is the same mindset that cost us half of our country in 1971? Back then, too, instead of listening to the cries of their own people, the rulers silenced them.
Instead of ensuring fair political representation, they brazenly denied it. Instead of granting the people their rightful franchise, their due share in governance, resources, and opportunities across every field of life, they chose to suppress it. Instead of addressing poverty, deprivation, and the growing sense of alienation, they arrogantly dismissed it as irrelevant.
The inevitable outcome of this arrogance and injustice was not simply public disillusionment — it was the tragic dismemberment of the country itself.
And yet, we have not learned. Instead of correcting the historical blunders, we continue to hand over the megaphone to those who live off the politics of distraction. They would rather debate contentious but irrelevant issues than build consensus on jobs, education, healthcare, and national productivity.
The people’s silent suffering
The ordinary citizen has been reduced to a mere statistic in reports and speeches. He wakes up every morning not to dream of a better future, but to struggle for survival. He works tirelessly, but inflation steals his wages and insecurity his peace of mind.
They toil day and night, fueling the country’s GDP through their labor and enterprise, and in doing so generate the very taxes that sustain the state. Yet, despite being the true backbone of the economy, they see little return for their sacrifices — their hard-earned contributions are squandered through corruption, inefficiency, and mismanagement instead of being invested back into their welfare and future.
And while this suffering persists, the national stage is dominated by the loud voices of those who thrive on noise. They debate irrelevant controversies, while millions go to sleep hungry. They manufacture political theatre, while hospitals run out of medicines. They argue about power, while the people remain powerless.
Do these elements deserve mercy?
The question arises: do such elements — these anti-people, anti-Pakistan opportunists — deserve leniency? Do they deserve space in our national discourse, or should they face the serious punishment of political and moral excommunication?
For too long, Pakistan has tolerated these actors. For too long, they have hijacked the hopes of the people. For too long, they have delayed the nation’s entry into modernity. Enough is enough. The time has come to draw a red line: those who trade in the misery of the people must be held accountable. They cannot be allowed to stand in the way of progress.
A call for national awakening
This is not merely a matter of political preference; it is a matter of survival. Pakistan is at a crossroads. On one side lies stagnation — a continuation of corruption, inefficiency, wastage of resources, and humiliation on the global stage while on the other lies renewal — a future where Pakistan embraces science, technology, innovation, and human capital to leap forward into the 21st century.
But, renewal will not come if the same voices continue to dominate our discourse. To move forward, we must silence the noise and center the conversation on the real issues:
• Constitutional rule: The supremacy of law must be restored so no individual or institution is above accountability.
• Fundamental rights: The people’s dignity, freedom, and security must be prioritized over elite privilege.
• Social justice: Poverty, unemployment, and inequity must be fought with policies that uplift the masses, not pamper the few.
• Infrastructure of life: Access to clean water, food security, electricity, healthcare, and internet is not charity — it is a right.
• Digitization and digitalization: All constitutional, governmental institutions and processes must be digitized to ensure transparency, efficiency, and accessibility for every citizen.
• Right to information: The enforcement of federal and provincial information laws, especially provisions on proactive disclosures, must be made mandatory to guarantee openness, reduce corruption, and empower citizens with knowledge.
• Empowered local bodies: The third tier of government — local bodies — must be strengthened and given genuine powers, resources, and autonomy so governance begins at the grassroots where the people actually live.
• Global relevance: Pakistan must embrace innovation, research, and technological development, aligning itself with the exponential changes of the modern world.
Time to act
The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. Each day wasted in political theatre is a day stolen from Pakistan’s children. Each rupee wasted on corruption is a rupee stolen from hospitals, schools, and development. Each distraction entertained is an opportunity lost in the global race of innovation.
The people of Pakistan must rise in one voice to demand accountability, demand dignity, and demand progress. The loud voices of petty hawks and hollow experts must be drowned out by the resolute voice of the nation.
Let us remember: history does not forgive nations that waste their chances. Pakistan has been given many — and squandered many. But perhaps, just perhaps, this is the final warning. The choice is clear: continue down the road of humiliation, or stand up and reclaim the promise of a prosperous, dignified, and modern Pakistan.
The moment of truth
This is the moment of truth. No more excuses. No more distractions. No more indulgence of those who feed on the misery of the people. The enemies of progress must be confronted, exposed, and excommunicated.
Pakistan belongs to its people — not to power brokers, not to failed politicians, not to opportunists of all hues. It is time to take the country back. It is time to build a nation worthy of its history, potential and capable of meeting the future.
This is the time to act.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is advocate High Court, a Techno-economist and an educationist