Pakistan: A Weak State
Pakistan: A Weak State
After independence from the British in 1947, President Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan was very clear: he wanted peace, good governance, tolerance and a state able to adhere to a rule of law. Unfortunately, this vision was never transformed into reality; the nation created as a home for the British India’s Muslims six decades ago today represent one of the world most troubling states in crisis (Crisis Guide: Pakistan).Why can’t Pakistan flourish? What makes Pakistan such a weak state?
Internal Antagonism/Intolerance: Pakistan's 180 million people are divided into five main ethnic groups: Punjabi, Pashtun, Sindhi, Muhajirs, and Balochi (Crisis Guide: Pakistan). This diversity has caused conflict and disorder in Pakistan, affecting the economic and political development of the country. This intolerance between sectarian groups also results in suicide bombings, bomb blasts, assassinations, target killings and terrorist attacks.
Political instability: Pakistan's political stability has been ruined by a fierce ideological debate about the form of government it should adopt. The absence of a strong political system has resulted on sudden shifts between civilian and a military government that diminish the power of civil society (Crisis Guide: Pakistan) making the economic and social development of the country very difficult.
Cultivation of terrorist groups: Pakistan has been characterized by the fostering of several terrorist groups in their quest to extend its influence across neighboring countries like Afghanistan and India (Crisis Guide: Pakistan). These groups pollute the minds of the country’s people with extreme ideology resulting in increased hostility towards neighboring countries and the rest of the world.
Poor education system:
Lack of access to quality education limits economic opportunities and makes young Pakistanis targets for extremist groups. Currently 49.5 million adults in Pakistan are illiterate.
After independence from the British in 1947, President Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan was very clear: he wanted peace, good governance, tolerance and a state able to adhere to a rule of law. Unfortunately, this vision was never transformed into reality; the nation created as a home for the British India’s Muslims six decades ago today represent one of the world most troubling states in crisis (Crisis Guide: Pakistan).Why can’t Pakistan flourish? What makes Pakistan such a weak state?
Internal Antagonism/Intolerance: Pakistan's 180 million people are divided into five main ethnic groups: Punjabi, Pashtun, Sindhi, Muhajirs, and Balochi (Crisis Guide: Pakistan). This diversity has caused conflict and disorder in Pakistan, affecting the economic and political development of the country. This intolerance between sectarian groups also results in suicide bombings, bomb blasts, assassinations, target killings and terrorist attacks.
Political instability: Pakistan's political stability has been ruined by a fierce ideological debate about the form of government it should adopt. The absence of a strong political system has resulted on sudden shifts between civilian and a military government that diminish the power of civil society (Crisis Guide: Pakistan) making the economic and social development of the country very difficult.
Cultivation of terrorist groups: Pakistan has been characterized by the fostering of several terrorist groups in their quest to extend its influence across neighboring countries like Afghanistan and India (Crisis Guide: Pakistan). These groups pollute the minds of the country’s people with extreme ideology resulting in increased hostility towards neighboring countries and the rest of the world.
Poor education system:
Lack of access to quality education limits economic opportunities and makes young Pakistanis targets for extremist groups. Currently 49.5 million adults in Pakistan are illiterate.