Pakistan and Syria are allies that have the same history. Both gained independence from the West, one from Britain and the other from France. One was established in 1947, and the other in 1946. Both got the same kind of rulers. In the beginning, it was not vivid for the common men, but with time, things became crystal clear. At one place, it ignited the nation, leading to the civil war, and the other nation has people on the ground in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, giving the nation the vibe of facing the calamity that arose from the economic issues, which the friend faced earlier.

Old leaders’ reign

Let’s start with Syria. After a huge political instability, Hafez Al Assad became the president with the help of old leaders in 1930. Since the beginning of his rule, the economic policies favoured elites and businessmen to get their support, which ultimately failed the nation in the long term. Hafez supplemented the failure of the state by letting Riffat Al Assad illegally transport things from Lebanon to his state and giving room to business elites to make progress from the back door in the long term. The long-term failure of the government to meet the needs of common men led Arab Spring to effect Syria during the rule of Bashar Al Assad in 2011, urging common men to come out and draw graffiti.

Likewise, Pakistan’s hybrid government turned politicians into actors. The old rulers decide who will be the ruling party. They work as dictators, making politicians do things they want with the motive of benefitting themselves for seven decades, which has depreciated the economy. Recently, the World Health Organization closed a locust project in Pakistan for which it approved $200 million because of unsatisfactory results and inability to prepare reports because work was not done. Chaghi Hills Exploration Joint Venture and Gwadar Project are prime examples of it. The old rulers made Baloch believe that those projects would benefit them, but they are still living in a bad state.

Short term policies

Syria and Pakistan’s policymakers and politicians’ inability to map the long-term solution resulted in chaos as short-term solutions plunged the finance sheets after a brief time, resulting in a loss of support.

Long time back, in the 1970s, external resources financed 80 percent of public investments in Syria during its war with Lebanon. Hafez Al Assad and his team used all investments in under-studied projects to make elites and citizens happy for the time being. Eventually, all projects failed and made the government depend on oil prices again. The corroding system of Hafez reduced the room for the politicians and statesmen who wanted to bring betterment.

Bashar Al Assad, on arriving in his state, aimed to bring change. He in the beginning focused on ending corruption but failed. Later, he became the president and tried more, but the effort went in vain because the system had become chaotic when he got control, making him obey old rulers and let elites and his family get favours in the country.

Pakistan has been receiving aid for decades from neighbouring countries like China and countries which it helped or made relations with, like the US with the motive of stabilizing the economy and improving its value against the Dollar. However, things backfired because of short-term policies that focused on immediate results for the time being to keep the country from default.

During PML-N’s rule, Ishaq Dar’s method of improving the rupee value involved taking loans from the State Bank of Pakistan and formulating policies of the sugar cane industry to give favour to the people of their families and elite businessmen. Although it brought fruits, and PSX improved, the root of the problem was not determined. Therefore, troubles doubled instead of being solved.

However, solving them is not possible, at least in this decade because it will require the old rulers to keep their benefits aside and focus on the state problems. In that case, they won’t be able to establish their businesses, which they have been doing since the independence. Take an example of the agreement between Malik Riaz and the Pakistan Navy to establish the Bahria Foundation, the infamous real-estate project. According to Shahrukh Rafi Khan, it’s a joint project because its two representatives, Ehtesham Zamir and Shaukat Sultan, were retired generals.

The self-benefits and short-term affected the nation so much that it cannot be improved in this decade because of our dependence on old rulers for mere guidance and the inability of the statesmen to give their opinion on anything. The recent assault in Balochistan from Iran is a prime example of it; at that time, the acting government failed to give the state’s perspective before the army’s teacher-like words.

The totalitarianism in both states has affected the merit of the selection of the statesmen. It has turned the system of government into the Game of Thrones. Syria has faced its impact in the form of a civil war that is still going on, and Pakistan is near to having the same future because the absence of basic necessities has started protests in Gilgit Baltistan, and the old ruler’s negligence towards Balochistan has given a hook to India to strengthen its game.

What is the solution?

Pakistan can save itself from the civil war by taking measures to eradicate the issues of Gilgit and disappeared people to win their trust. The old rulers have to make a genuine strategy to solve their matter. Since totalitarianism made the politicians and ruling parties dependent on each other, the two sectors need to work together to improve the economy from scratch with a long-term plan in mind. For that, they need to keep their religious beliefs aside and get Atif Mian back to improve the financial situation of Pakistan.

Civil war is never the result of religious problems, but of economic situations that affect the population of the state for a long time that they would be forced to come out. The nation of Pakistan living poverty with everything, especially in northern areas. In 2020, farmers had come to Islamabad to protest due to price hikes in fertilizers. Afterwards, Balochistan’s people are seen sitting on the roads in Islamabad. Now Gilgit and Sindh are remaining. And they could remain in their place if the military and politicians work together for the state.

Aqsa Abdul Qadir