pakistan’s

Outlook
Pakistan is a deeply troubled state, but it is not a failing state. It is a country with immense
possibilities, but to realize this potential it will need to abandon enmity toward India and seek
to construct a modern progressive state. Pakistan’s India policy has held the country hostage,
leading the military and political establishment to neglect the nation’s development agenda and
turn to ever-greater religiosity to gain legitimacy and credibility. This approach has, in turn,
given extremist religious groups a free hand within the country while the state uses them to
secure its foreign policy objectives. Some of these groups, such as the TTP, have subsequently
turned against the state, undermining domestic security and adversely affecting Pakistan’s social
and economic well-being.
Pakistan’s traditional Islamic orientation, historically moderate in nature, need not prevent the
country from becoming a prosperous state. However, its political and, more importantly, military
leadership must change course radically as extremist theologies spread throughout the country.
That even the shock of the Peshawar school attack has not led to any thought of reducing the social
role of these extremist groups is a cause for pessimism.
The prospects of turning South Asia into a harmonious and prosperous region largely depend
on Pakistani approaches. So long as Pakistan remains a prisoner of its current ideological moorings
and militaristic policies for protecting its security, a change is unlikely. This is a pity for a country
and people with so much potential.
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NBR
SPECIAL REPORT u FEBRUARY 2016