Crisis of Leadership
25 May, 2011
By Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey (Retd)
We have had crisis of leadership since 1951. Subsequent leaders were found deficient in one way or the other. Till 1968 we progressed to an extent that Pakistan was termed West Germany of the East. We were manufacturing polymers, steel and special alloys and exporting those to west. That was not acceptable. So we were blessed with a socialist leader who nationalised every thing including education. Most factories were destroyed and sold as scrap. The industrialists up stuck and planted themselves out of Pakistan. They have not returned. (Horrifically a phenomenon because of power and gas shortage and high production costs being repeated once again now). We spent next ten years fighting the USSR. When democracy was revived in 1985, Pakistan owed $9bn. In 1998 it was $32bn. Presently it owes $57bn. Since 1988 corruption become rampant. The national exchequer has been plundered and economy totally ruined. Those who were capable left the country to earn their living abroad.
The incompetence can be judged from the fact than we were provided with the FMs and a PM from IMF/WB. They were bankers not Economists/Financial Experts. The Economy has reached to this abyss because of those being in control who had/have no stake in the country. It is difficult to find a competent person in any field to lead any of the 17 fields that are internationally recognised for a country irrespective of its size.
Therefore, finding a leader to extricate the country from this deep hole is difficult if not impossible. The conduct of all leaders, to say the least, is horrid that has come out from Wiki leaks. Denying it is not possible. People in power as a norm suffer from verbal diarrhoea to impress the listener without any concern for the country.
The only possibility is the civil society rising against despot and the corrupt. That may throw up a leader from amongst them.
May Allah (swt) forgive us for our misdeed and guide us towards the right path.
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