From 47 to Form 47

This is with reference to the Cover Story titled ‘From 47 to Form 47’ that appeared in SouthAsia in its April 2024 issue. The cover story depicted the plight of the Pakistani nation, which has not been allowed to function as an independent nation-state since the country’s beginnings in August 1947. In my opinion, the real problem of Pakistan is corruption, and some of our power lords, who support the corrupt system, have brutally stolen the national treasury. Their strict accountability is the guarantee of the country’s development. Corruption is the biggest obstacle to Pakistan’s development. From the destruction of the political system to the current economic crisis, corruption is the real evil. To prevent corruption, honest people should be held in all government positions, and political interference in their work should not be tolerated.

Mohsin Ali Jafri,
Karachi, Pakistan.

Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Relations

The arrival of a high-level delegation of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan under the leadership of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan can be referred to as the beginning of a new era in the already enthusiastic relations between the two countries, in which economic cooperation will be built on a more systematic basis. The views expressed by the Saudi Foreign Minister in the media conference after the meeting with the Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the delegation level have revealed the possibilities of expanding and deepening Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations. Given regional security requirements, we can see a paradigm shift taking place in partnership while the need for cooperation is also being highlighted between the two nations.

Rida Zeeshan,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

State vs. Nation State

This is with reference to the cover story ‘From ’47 to Form 47’ by Faizan Usmani, which appeared in SouthAsia in its April 2024 edition. I must say that the article was very enlightening and educational, covering the subject of exceptional importance in prevailing situations. The writer is right when it says in the article’s first paragraph that Pakistan has been reduced to a star-crossed nation-state wherein the state is pitted against the nation from day one. However, the writer has not named the people behind this fiasco or explained how they did it without any accountability. My friend, Chief Justice (Retd.) Mian Allah Nawaz of LHC, has explicitly described in his voluminous book “How Can We Survive?”

According to him, the three conspirators, two ICS (Sikandar Mirza and Ghulam Muhammad), and one feudal lord (Mushtaq Ghourmani) did it by imposing the Colonial Act of 1935 against the wishes of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. They ran the system through the institutions established by the Britishers for their colonial rule, which were further destroyed by stuffing stooges without merit by the two political dynasties and earlier dictators to save their skins and loot, as and when required.

They got a junior officer, Ayub Khan, on whose file Quaid-e-Azam wrote not to be promoted, who was made army chief through manipulative tactics. After playing musical chairs with politicians of their ilk, mainly from the erstwhile West Pakistan, they imposed martial law through Ayub Khan, and the rest is history. The writer Faizan Usmani has illustrated so well in the last two paragraphs about the extreme distortion of the results through Form 47 by the powers that be.

The article’s last paragraph sums it up so effectively through the quote of Sir Tom Stoppard: “It’s not voting which is democracy; it’s counting.”

Saleem Chaudhry,
Lahore, Pakistan.

Need for National Unity

We need to reaffirm our commitment to fully support the government in achieving sustainable socio-economic development in the country, including preventing illegal activities, especially smuggling, hoarding, and electricity theft, and arresting all illegal refugees. The current leadership of the Pakistan Army has taken the path of meaningful and full cooperation with the government in eliminating obstacles to economic recovery and preventing crimes; an example of this can hardly be found in the past. The positive results of this constructive attitude are in front of everyone in the form of a better environment for local and foreign investment. Therefore, spoiling the atmosphere of national unity by spreading negative propaganda against the defense institutions is against the national interest. Strengthening the relationship of mutual trust between the army and the people is the urgent need of the hour, and stakeholders from all sectors of national life should play a positive role. As part of a larger conspiracy to create distance between the people and the forces, making baseless allegations against law enforcement agencies has become fashionable. Still, such attempts should not be allowed to succeed, and strict action will be ensured as per the law.

Jahanzeb Akhtar,
Mardan, Pakistan.

IMF Predictions and Growth Rate

Pakistan’s economy has had a good start this year. According to the World Economic Outlook Report, the economic growth rate is expected to reach 2 percent this year and 3.5 percent next year. Unemployment will be 8 percent this year and 7.5 percent next year, while inflation is expected to drop significantly by 12.1 percent in the next financial year. The average inflation last fiscal year was 29.2%. This suggests the economy is moving in the right direction. However, political instability is a significant threat to the country’s economy. It is a positive sign for Pakistan’s economy that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted a reduction in inflation and unemployment. The signs of improvement in Pakistan, which has been suffering from an economic crisis for years, are beginning to show, confirmed by the recent reports of the World Bank and the financial news agency Bloomberg. The World Economic Outlook report released by the IMF has also revealed an encouraging situation in this regard. The new bailout program of the World Financial Institution will stabilize the economic growth rate.

Rashid Chohan,
Islamabad, Pakistan.

Ominous Sign

Pakistan is standing at the most critical point in history. The number of people suffering from poverty in Pakistan has exceeded over 12 crore. The irony is that every year in Pakistan, more than 300 billion rupees are spent on maintaining the lavish lifestyle of government officials. The poor people have been suffering from the luxuries and unnecessary protocols of our government representatives for a long time. The reality is that the trade deficit during the last nine months was over 2 billion rupees. Inflation has also increased by more than 48%. Last year, Pakistan’s economic growth rate was meager, so inflation is at the highest level in the country’s history. The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other financial institutions express grave concern about Pakistan’s economic situation. Our political leaders do not realize how much people are forced to live in agony. Due to the current unfavorable conditions in the country, some eight hundred and fifty thousand people have gone abroad this year. The new government has no plans to provide relief to the people other than the IMF.

Javed Anjum,
Dubai, UAE.