Political Situation in Pakistan
POLITICAL SITUATION IN PAKISTAN
POLITICAL SITUATION IN PAKISTAN
By Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
Reproduced in pdf form by Sani Panhwar
Copyright © www.bhutto.org
I
Since the birth of Pakistan every government has appealed for national unity. Pakistan has run into crisis after crises, each graver than the preceding and unity has eluded us despite all the fervent appeals made. There must be serious reasons why crises should exist in abundance and not unity. These reasons need to be examined. Our country has been threatened by two sorts of crises-a general one affecting the world, but particularly Asia; and the other casting its gloom over the sub-continent. There is an obvious connection between them. Of whatever sorts the crisis may be and whether simple or manifold, the situation has, to be understood properly. The world in which we live is moving towards a culmination, which might be a universal catastrophe. It will not be just another Dien Bien Phu. This is the difference between Dien Bien Phu and the present crisis, between 1954 and 1968. We arc on the edge of a precipice. Below lies the valley of death. Must we let ourselves fall into it consciously by marching ahead to disaster or should we not draw back? There is no alternative but to pull hack. This does not entail a loss of prestige. It only saves this beautiful world from senseless destruction. Pakistan is caught in a whirlwind. As we look back on the twenty years of our existence, we find a dangerous tendency for international and subcontinental problems to get fused together. To maintain the view that crisis is the order of the day, a natural phenomenon of this restless age, is pointless. The prevailing demoniacal trend requires to be reversed. Ours is not the only country caught in the vicious circle of crises. Many countries have been able to settle similar problems and move on with added strength to other matters. The strength to move forward comes from the resolution of basic internal issues. Unlike many
POLITICAL SITUATION IN PAKISTAN
By Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
Reproduced in pdf form by Sani Panhwar
Copyright © www.bhutto.org
I
Since the birth of Pakistan every government has appealed for national unity. Pakistan has run into crisis after crises, each graver than the preceding and unity has eluded us despite all the fervent appeals made. There must be serious reasons why crises should exist in abundance and not unity. These reasons need to be examined. Our country has been threatened by two sorts of crises-a general one affecting the world, but particularly Asia; and the other casting its gloom over the sub-continent. There is an obvious connection between them. Of whatever sorts the crisis may be and whether simple or manifold, the situation has, to be understood properly. The world in which we live is moving towards a culmination, which might be a universal catastrophe. It will not be just another Dien Bien Phu. This is the difference between Dien Bien Phu and the present crisis, between 1954 and 1968. We arc on the edge of a precipice. Below lies the valley of death. Must we let ourselves fall into it consciously by marching ahead to disaster or should we not draw back? There is no alternative but to pull hack. This does not entail a loss of prestige. It only saves this beautiful world from senseless destruction. Pakistan is caught in a whirlwind. As we look back on the twenty years of our existence, we find a dangerous tendency for international and subcontinental problems to get fused together. To maintain the view that crisis is the order of the day, a natural phenomenon of this restless age, is pointless. The prevailing demoniacal trend requires to be reversed. Ours is not the only country caught in the vicious circle of crises. Many countries have been able to settle similar problems and move on with added strength to other matters. The strength to move forward comes from the resolution of basic internal issues. Unlike many