Brave article. Given the potential of its people, Pakistan is arguably the most unsuccessful independent state anywhere, ever. This is what makes it so dangerous.
I would have thought South Africa better deserves that accolade.
We should also NOT forget that Pakistani has a ‘Bomb’ (of sorts.)
Before I forget, Mr Walsh I trust you have now seen the BBC TV documentary’Once upon a time Northen Ireland’ and have noted that so called ‘Bloody Sunday’ was also described by others as ‘Good Sunday’.
I look forward to your abject apology, in the very unlikely event that you have the moral fibre to give one.
ps. Another contender might be the Kerrygold Republic*. Having achieved Independence after centuries of struggle in 1922 following a rather nasty little war, it then abjectly surrendered itself to the EU in 1973.
51 years of freedom! Brilliant! Talk about a ‘mess of pottage’’! **
(*Sometimes known as the Irish Republic.)
(**Genesis. 25: 29-34.)
Our discussion has been restored,
but unfortunately your reply completely avoided the issue.
Your exact words at the start of this were:-
“I don’t think anyone could possibly refer to that horrible day as Good Sunday”.
To which I replied yes, people actually DO refer to it as Good Sunday, and that BBC documentary I mentioned actually records that very fact does it not?
Our discussion has been restored,
but unfortunately your reply completely avoided the issue.
Your exact words at the start of this were:-
“I don’t think anyone could possibly refer to that horrible day as Good Sunday”.
To which I replied yes, people actually DO refer to it as Good Sunday, and that BBC documentary I mentioned actually records that very fact does it not?
I agree about its potential. Whilst working in healthcare, i had the pleasure to work alongside a great many Pakistanis (either direct immigrants or of recent Pakistani immigrant origin) and they were among the most able, intelligent and disciplined colleagues one could wish for.
Why on earth is a nation with such human potential given to economic malaise? I’ll leave others to speculate on that – but also just to add that the flip side includes the grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani origin, active local to where i live (i.e. still active). There’s something worthy of much greater study by psychologists going on here, except it’s something that almost certainly won’t be happening in our current cultural climate.
Funny though. The middle class pakistanis born in or originated from the country, seems to be among the most double talking islamists in Denmark. And they defend their home country.
Most of the military during Empire was based near the Khyber Pass and many Pakistanis make very good soldiers. A third of the Army was Muslim. There is little commercial activity in West Pakistan, East Pakistan, today Bengal is very fertile and provided most of the taxes. At Indpendence, the Hindus and Sikhs moved to India which meant most of the middle class – Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Business People etc left. The old aristocratic land owning classes based in India stayed there. In provinces such as Sindh one had a minute land owning literate class and a vast illiterate class of farm labourers.
Basically the only competent organisation in Pakistan was The Armed Forces which also provided a meritocratic route for social advancement. However, in 1973 Zia al Huq started a policy of increasing Islamic influences within Pakistan.
The inability of the Pakistan Government to provide basic education and healthcare has resulted in suppport for Islamic Parties.
Paistan is very close to Saudi Arabia and the USSR invasion of Afghnaistan resulted in a Wahabi strand of Islam replacing a Sufi strand in much of the country, hence the Taliban.
Funny though. The middle class pakistanis born in or originated from the country, seems to be among the most double talking islamists in Denmark. And they defend their home country.
Most of the military during Empire was based near the Khyber Pass and many Pakistanis make very good soldiers. A third of the Army was Muslim. There is little commercial activity in West Pakistan, East Pakistan, today Bengal is very fertile and provided most of the taxes. At Indpendence, the Hindus and Sikhs moved to India which meant most of the middle class – Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Business People etc left. The old aristocratic land owning classes based in India stayed there. In provinces such as Sindh one had a minute land owning literate class and a vast illiterate class of farm labourers.
Basically the only competent organisation in Pakistan was The Armed Forces which also provided a meritocratic route for social advancement. However, in 1973 Zia al Huq started a policy of increasing Islamic influences within Pakistan.
The inability of the Pakistan Government to provide basic education and healthcare has resulted in suppport for Islamic Parties.
Paistan is very close to Saudi Arabia and the USSR invasion of Afghnaistan resulted in a Wahabi strand of Islam replacing a Sufi strand in much of the country, hence the Taliban.
A very uninformed article that lives in the 70s. None of Pakistans internal politics revolves around India. The religious parties have a handful of seats out of 800 or so. The Author seems to not have visited the country in the last 30 years and is clearly very ignorant.
The problems started with the creation of the State itself. Two things that were there at the beginning have metamorphosed into the intractable problems now. The first was the establishment doctrine itself. Was Pakistan supposed to be nominally secular or Islamist? If it was going to be a Muslim state; the islamists had a valid argument that then Sharia should be the law of the land. Jinnah himself was secular, but his early death prevented that viewpoint to prevail. Second is the lack of civilian control of the Army, and the pyramidal structure of the Army Brass. By not breaking up the command structure; it allowed the head of the army to accumulate too much concentrated power. If I recall, people of Pakistan welcomed the Army coup of 1956 because the civilian government was a pathetic shambles. “suna hai ki Pakistan may Mashallah ho gaya” was a popular refrain at that time.
The islamization of the polity started by Bhutto was given rocket fuel by Zia; and I don’t see how Pakistan can revert back from that. Add to that, there is no way in hell the Army is going to give up its control now without bloodshed or a civil war.
And as the author states; how can India-Pakistan relationship get better after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that were coordinated by the ISI in real time?
I would have thought South Africa better deserves that accolade.
We should also NOT forget that Pakistani has a ‘Bomb’ (of sorts.)
Before I forget, Mr Walsh I trust you have now seen the BBC TV documentary’Once upon a time Northen Ireland’ and have noted that so called ‘Bloody Sunday’ was also described by others as ‘Good Sunday’.
I look forward to your abject apology, in the very unlikely event that you have the moral fibre to give one.
ps. Another contender might be the Kerrygold Republic*. Having achieved Independence after centuries of struggle in 1922 following a rather nasty little war, it then abjectly surrendered itself to the EU in 1973.
51 years of freedom! Brilliant! Talk about a ‘mess of pottage’’! **
(*Sometimes known as the Irish Republic.)
(**Genesis. 25: 29-34.)
I agree about its potential. Whilst working in healthcare, i had the pleasure to work alongside a great many Pakistanis (either direct immigrants or of recent Pakistani immigrant origin) and they were among the most able, intelligent and disciplined colleagues one could wish for.
Why on earth is a nation with such human potential given to economic malaise? I’ll leave others to speculate on that – but also just to add that the flip side includes the grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani origin, active local to where i live (i.e. still active). There’s something worthy of much greater study by psychologists going on here, except it’s something that almost certainly won’t be happening in our current cultural climate.
A very uninformed article that lives in the 70s. None of Pakistans internal politics revolves around India. The religious parties have a handful of seats out of 800 or so. The Author seems to not have visited the country in the last 30 years and is clearly very ignorant.
The problems started with the creation of the State itself. Two things that were there at the beginning have metamorphosed into the intractable problems now. The first was the establishment doctrine itself. Was Pakistan supposed to be nominally secular or Islamist? If it was going to be a Muslim state; the islamists had a valid argument that then Sharia should be the law of the land. Jinnah himself was secular, but his early death prevented that viewpoint to prevail. Second is the lack of civilian control of the Army, and the pyramidal structure of the Army Brass. By not breaking up the command structure; it allowed the head of the army to accumulate too much concentrated power. If I recall, people of Pakistan welcomed the Army coup of 1956 because the civilian government was a pathetic shambles. “suna hai ki Pakistan may Mashallah ho gaya” was a popular refrain at that time.
The islamization of the polity started by Bhutto was given rocket fuel by Zia; and I don’t see how Pakistan can revert back from that. Add to that, there is no way in hell the Army is going to give up its control now without bloodshed or a civil war.
And as the author states; how can India-Pakistan relationship get better after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that were coordinated by the ISI in real time?
Stephen Walsh
10 months ago
Brave article. Given the potential of its people, Pakistan is arguably the most unsuccessful independent state anywhere, ever. This is what makes it so dangerous.
Mark V
10 months ago
“CPEC was supposed to be a fiscal lifeline, but it has instead metamorphosed into a debt trap”
well duh
“CPEC was supposed to be a fiscal lifeline, but it has instead metamorphosed into a debt trap”
well duh
Last edited 10 months ago by Mark V
Hugh Bryant
10 months ago
The cultural change needed for the modernization of Pakistan – eradication of its brutal misogyny, for example – will take generations.
Hugh Bryant
10 months ago
The cultural change needed for the modernization of Pakistan – eradication of its brutal misogyny, for example – will take generations.
Vijay Kant
10 months ago
It is always the economy that separates religious fantasy from reality. The drying up of petrodollars will also see this fantasy come to its logical end in many middle eastern countries in the coming decades. Unfortunately, power hungry mullahs will not go quietly.
Pakistan’s current situation is just a trailer; the full movie is yet to be released!
It is always the economy that separates religious fantasy from reality. The drying up of petrodollars will also see this fantasy come to its logical end in many middle eastern countries in the coming decades. Unfortunately, power hungry mullahs will not go quietly.
Pakistan’s current situation is just a trailer; the full movie is yet to be released!
Last edited 10 months ago by Vijay Kant
Milton Gibbon
10 months ago
Why can’t Pakistan just accept its fate and split into its component entities? Far too many national boundaries within the state for it to ever function effectively. Perhaps a federation under the Islamic “umbrella” would be preferable so that differences could be fostered to everyone’s benefit – the cricket team developing along the West Indian midel for instance. It would have been interesting to have more of the article dedicated to Bangladesh’s relative success having undergone a horrific civil war which tore the country apart, unlike West Pakistan.
And yet it was the Pakistani Army that was responsible for a lot of the horror – between 200 – 400,000 raped and 300000 to 3 million murdered, depending on who you ask, one of the worst genocides since WW2.
Hi Jeff. Clearly you are an idiot. Or you would know that half of the victims were Biharis genocided by Bengalis. How does it make sense for you to use a grossly exaggerated figure of deaths from both sides and pin it on one side? Idiot or just disingenuous?
Hi Jeff. Clearly you are an idiot. Or you would know that half of the victims were Biharis genocided by Bengalis. How does it make sense for you to use a grossly exaggerated figure of deaths from both sides and pin it on one side? Idiot or just disingenuous?
And yet it was the Pakistani Army that was responsible for a lot of the horror – between 200 – 400,000 raped and 300000 to 3 million murdered, depending on who you ask, one of the worst genocides since WW2.
Milton Gibbon
10 months ago
Why can’t Pakistan just accept its fate and split into its component entities? Far too many national boundaries within the state for it to ever function effectively. Perhaps a federation under the Islamic “umbrella” would be preferable so that differences could be fostered to everyone’s benefit – the cricket team developing along the West Indian midel for instance. It would have been interesting to have more of the article dedicated to Bangladesh’s relative success having undergone a horrific civil war which tore the country apart, unlike West Pakistan.
Why bother to groom a dog if you’re going to skin and cook it?
Simon Neale
10 months ago
Any word yet on Chinese grooming gangs?
Jacob Mason
10 months ago
As an American, I would like to add that the financing of Pakistan – largely of its military was carried out by the US during the cold war, largely due to the fact that Pakistan was willing to ally against the Soviets.
It seems likely to me that Pakistan’s current troubles are partly due to its necessary emergence from being a well-paid American ally for most of its early history.
Jacob Mason
10 months ago
As an American, I would like to add that the financing of Pakistan – largely of its military was carried out by the US during the cold war, largely due to the fact that Pakistan was willing to ally against the Soviets.
It seems likely to me that Pakistan’s current troubles are partly due to its necessary emergence from being a well-paid American ally for most of its early history.
Samuel Ross
10 months ago
Pakistan should humble itself before God and man. It needs its own Mahatma Ghandhi.
Pakistan should humble itself before God and man. It needs its own Mahatma Ghandhi.
Mark Smith
10 months ago
Knowing next to nothing about international finance, I’ll say that it seems like foreign investment is more often a detriment than an advantage. One option is for the government to start a bunch of state-run projects with the new funds, but unless by virtue of improved organization or motivational power this leads to greater productive capacity in the country, all it will do is reallocate existing capacity to new ventures while fueling inflation. Generally speaking, internal spending will just weaken the currency. Alternatively, the funds can be used to buy external commodities and equipment, which hopefully can be used to jump-start some industries in the purchasing country. This seems better than the first option, but has the drawback of invigorating the economies of foreign countries (maybe the same ones that loaned the money). The route that this article says Pakistan is taking, buying foreign munitions, is maybe the worst, as it leads to no improvement in one’s own economy and makes one’s security dependent on possible future enemies. Of course all of these options beget debt and attendant interest as well.
Last edited 10 months ago by Mark Smith
Mark Smith
10 months ago
Knowing next to nothing about international finance, I’ll say that it seems like foreign investment is more often a detriment than an advantage. One option is for the government to start a bunch of state-run projects with the new funds, but unless by virtue of improved organization or motivational power this leads to greater productive capacity in the country, all it will do is reallocate existing capacity to new ventures while fueling inflation. Generally speaking, internal spending will just weaken the currency. Alternatively, the funds can be used to buy external commodities and equipment, which hopefully can be used to jump-start some industries in the purchasing country. This seems better than the first option, but has the drawback of invigorating the economies of foreign countries (maybe the same ones that loaned the money). The route that this article says Pakistan is taking, buying foreign munitions, is maybe the worst, as it leads to no improvement in one’s own economy and makes one’s security dependent on possible future enemies. Of course all of these options beget debt and attendant interest as well.
Brave article. Given the potential of its people, Pakistan is arguably the most unsuccessful independent state anywhere, ever. This is what makes it so dangerous.
I would have thought South Africa better deserves that accolade.
We should also NOT forget that Pakistani has a ‘Bomb’ (of sorts.)
Before I forget, Mr Walsh I trust you have now seen the BBC TV documentary’Once upon a time Northen Ireland’ and have noted that so called ‘Bloody Sunday’ was also described by others as ‘Good Sunday’.
I look forward to your abject apology, in the very unlikely event that you have the moral fibre to give one.
ps. Another contender might be the Kerrygold Republic*. Having achieved Independence after centuries of struggle in 1922 following a rather nasty little war, it then abjectly surrendered itself to the EU in 1973.
51 years of freedom! Brilliant! Talk about a ‘mess of pottage’’! **
(*Sometimes known as the Irish Republic.)
(**Genesis. 25: 29-34.)
I replied to you yesterday, but comments on the Covid Inquiry article were deleted by Unherd.
Thank you indeed!
That wretched Censor …..again!
Hallelujah!
Our discussion has been restored,
but unfortunately your reply completely avoided the issue.
Your exact words at the start of this were:-
“I don’t think anyone could possibly refer to that horrible day as Good Sunday”.
To which I replied yes, people actually DO refer to it as Good Sunday, and that BBC documentary I mentioned actually records that very fact does it not?
So, why don’t you acknowledge it?
Thank you indeed!
That wretched Censor …..again!
Hallelujah!
Our discussion has been restored,
but unfortunately your reply completely avoided the issue.
Your exact words at the start of this were:-
“I don’t think anyone could possibly refer to that horrible day as Good Sunday”.
To which I replied yes, people actually DO refer to it as Good Sunday, and that BBC documentary I mentioned actually records that very fact does it not?
So, why don’t you acknowledge it?
I replied to you yesterday, but comments on the Covid Inquiry article were deleted by Unherd.
I agree about its potential. Whilst working in healthcare, i had the pleasure to work alongside a great many Pakistanis (either direct immigrants or of recent Pakistani immigrant origin) and they were among the most able, intelligent and disciplined colleagues one could wish for.
Why on earth is a nation with such human potential given to economic malaise? I’ll leave others to speculate on that – but also just to add that the flip side includes the grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani origin, active local to where i live (i.e. still active). There’s something worthy of much greater study by psychologists going on here, except it’s something that almost certainly won’t be happening in our current cultural climate.
Like many countries Pakistan has a small middleclass sitting on a timebomb of less intelligent mob minded masses
Funny though. The middle class pakistanis born in or originated from the country, seems to be among the most double talking islamists in Denmark. And they defend their home country.
Most of the military during Empire was based near the Khyber Pass and many Pakistanis make very good soldiers. A third of the Army was Muslim. There is little commercial activity in West Pakistan, East Pakistan, today Bengal is very fertile and provided most of the taxes. At Indpendence, the Hindus and Sikhs moved to India which meant most of the middle class – Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Business People etc left. The old aristocratic land owning classes based in India stayed there. In provinces such as Sindh one had a minute land owning literate class and a vast illiterate class of farm labourers.
Basically the only competent organisation in Pakistan was The Armed Forces which also provided a meritocratic route for social advancement. However, in 1973 Zia al Huq started a policy of increasing Islamic influences within Pakistan.
The inability of the Pakistan Government to provide basic education and healthcare has resulted in suppport for Islamic Parties.
Paistan is very close to Saudi Arabia and the USSR invasion of Afghnaistan resulted in a Wahabi strand of Islam replacing a Sufi strand in much of the country, hence the Taliban.
Like many countries Pakistan has a small middleclass sitting on a timebomb of less intelligent mob minded masses
Funny though. The middle class pakistanis born in or originated from the country, seems to be among the most double talking islamists in Denmark. And they defend their home country.
Most of the military during Empire was based near the Khyber Pass and many Pakistanis make very good soldiers. A third of the Army was Muslim. There is little commercial activity in West Pakistan, East Pakistan, today Bengal is very fertile and provided most of the taxes. At Indpendence, the Hindus and Sikhs moved to India which meant most of the middle class – Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Business People etc left. The old aristocratic land owning classes based in India stayed there. In provinces such as Sindh one had a minute land owning literate class and a vast illiterate class of farm labourers.
Basically the only competent organisation in Pakistan was The Armed Forces which also provided a meritocratic route for social advancement. However, in 1973 Zia al Huq started a policy of increasing Islamic influences within Pakistan.
The inability of the Pakistan Government to provide basic education and healthcare has resulted in suppport for Islamic Parties.
Paistan is very close to Saudi Arabia and the USSR invasion of Afghnaistan resulted in a Wahabi strand of Islam replacing a Sufi strand in much of the country, hence the Taliban.
A very uninformed article that lives in the 70s. None of Pakistans internal politics revolves around India. The religious parties have a handful of seats out of 800 or so. The Author seems to not have visited the country in the last 30 years and is clearly very ignorant.
The problems started with the creation of the State itself. Two things that were there at the beginning have metamorphosed into the intractable problems now. The first was the establishment doctrine itself. Was Pakistan supposed to be nominally secular or Islamist? If it was going to be a Muslim state; the islamists had a valid argument that then Sharia should be the law of the land. Jinnah himself was secular, but his early death prevented that viewpoint to prevail. Second is the lack of civilian control of the Army, and the pyramidal structure of the Army Brass. By not breaking up the command structure; it allowed the head of the army to accumulate too much concentrated power. If I recall, people of Pakistan welcomed the Army coup of 1956 because the civilian government was a pathetic shambles. “suna hai ki Pakistan may Mashallah ho gaya” was a popular refrain at that time.
The islamization of the polity started by Bhutto was given rocket fuel by Zia; and I don’t see how Pakistan can revert back from that. Add to that, there is no way in hell the Army is going to give up its control now without bloodshed or a civil war.
And as the author states; how can India-Pakistan relationship get better after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that were coordinated by the ISI in real time?
I would have thought South Africa better deserves that accolade.
We should also NOT forget that Pakistani has a ‘Bomb’ (of sorts.)
Before I forget, Mr Walsh I trust you have now seen the BBC TV documentary’Once upon a time Northen Ireland’ and have noted that so called ‘Bloody Sunday’ was also described by others as ‘Good Sunday’.
I look forward to your abject apology, in the very unlikely event that you have the moral fibre to give one.
ps. Another contender might be the Kerrygold Republic*. Having achieved Independence after centuries of struggle in 1922 following a rather nasty little war, it then abjectly surrendered itself to the EU in 1973.
51 years of freedom! Brilliant! Talk about a ‘mess of pottage’’! **
(*Sometimes known as the Irish Republic.)
(**Genesis. 25: 29-34.)
I agree about its potential. Whilst working in healthcare, i had the pleasure to work alongside a great many Pakistanis (either direct immigrants or of recent Pakistani immigrant origin) and they were among the most able, intelligent and disciplined colleagues one could wish for.
Why on earth is a nation with such human potential given to economic malaise? I’ll leave others to speculate on that – but also just to add that the flip side includes the grooming gangs of predominantly Pakistani origin, active local to where i live (i.e. still active). There’s something worthy of much greater study by psychologists going on here, except it’s something that almost certainly won’t be happening in our current cultural climate.
A very uninformed article that lives in the 70s. None of Pakistans internal politics revolves around India. The religious parties have a handful of seats out of 800 or so. The Author seems to not have visited the country in the last 30 years and is clearly very ignorant.
The problems started with the creation of the State itself. Two things that were there at the beginning have metamorphosed into the intractable problems now. The first was the establishment doctrine itself. Was Pakistan supposed to be nominally secular or Islamist? If it was going to be a Muslim state; the islamists had a valid argument that then Sharia should be the law of the land. Jinnah himself was secular, but his early death prevented that viewpoint to prevail. Second is the lack of civilian control of the Army, and the pyramidal structure of the Army Brass. By not breaking up the command structure; it allowed the head of the army to accumulate too much concentrated power. If I recall, people of Pakistan welcomed the Army coup of 1956 because the civilian government was a pathetic shambles. “suna hai ki Pakistan may Mashallah ho gaya” was a popular refrain at that time.
The islamization of the polity started by Bhutto was given rocket fuel by Zia; and I don’t see how Pakistan can revert back from that. Add to that, there is no way in hell the Army is going to give up its control now without bloodshed or a civil war.
And as the author states; how can India-Pakistan relationship get better after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that were coordinated by the ISI in real time?
Brave article. Given the potential of its people, Pakistan is arguably the most unsuccessful independent state anywhere, ever. This is what makes it so dangerous.
“CPEC was supposed to be a fiscal lifeline, but it has instead metamorphosed into a debt trap”
well duh
That was need of hour not a miracle cure.
That was need of hour not a miracle cure.
“CPEC was supposed to be a fiscal lifeline, but it has instead metamorphosed into a debt trap”
well duh
The cultural change needed for the modernization of Pakistan – eradication of its brutal misogyny, for example – will take generations.
The cultural change needed for the modernization of Pakistan – eradication of its brutal misogyny, for example – will take generations.
It is always the economy that separates religious fantasy from reality. The drying up of petrodollars will also see this fantasy come to its logical end in many middle eastern countries in the coming decades. Unfortunately, power hungry mullahs will not go quietly.
Pakistan’s current situation is just a trailer; the full movie is yet to be released!
Have Iran’s Mullah’s also given up funding Jihad?
Have Iran’s Mullah’s also given up funding Jihad?
It is always the economy that separates religious fantasy from reality. The drying up of petrodollars will also see this fantasy come to its logical end in many middle eastern countries in the coming decades. Unfortunately, power hungry mullahs will not go quietly.
Pakistan’s current situation is just a trailer; the full movie is yet to be released!
Why can’t Pakistan just accept its fate and split into its component entities? Far too many national boundaries within the state for it to ever function effectively. Perhaps a federation under the Islamic “umbrella” would be preferable so that differences could be fostered to everyone’s benefit – the cricket team developing along the West Indian midel for instance. It would have been interesting to have more of the article dedicated to Bangladesh’s relative success having undergone a horrific civil war which tore the country apart, unlike West Pakistan.
And yet it was the Pakistani Army that was responsible for a lot of the horror – between 200 – 400,000 raped and 300000 to 3 million murdered, depending on who you ask, one of the worst genocides since WW2.
Hi Jeff. Clearly you are an idiot. Or you would know that half of the victims were Biharis genocided by Bengalis. How does it make sense for you to use a grossly exaggerated figure of deaths from both sides and pin it on one side? Idiot or just disingenuous?
That’s not what I’ve read but yes, clearly I’m an idiot – happy now?
That’s not what I’ve read but yes, clearly I’m an idiot – happy now?
Hi Jeff. Clearly you are an idiot. Or you would know that half of the victims were Biharis genocided by Bengalis. How does it make sense for you to use a grossly exaggerated figure of deaths from both sides and pin it on one side? Idiot or just disingenuous?
And yet it was the Pakistani Army that was responsible for a lot of the horror – between 200 – 400,000 raped and 300000 to 3 million murdered, depending on who you ask, one of the worst genocides since WW2.
Why can’t Pakistan just accept its fate and split into its component entities? Far too many national boundaries within the state for it to ever function effectively. Perhaps a federation under the Islamic “umbrella” would be preferable so that differences could be fostered to everyone’s benefit – the cricket team developing along the West Indian midel for instance. It would have been interesting to have more of the article dedicated to Bangladesh’s relative success having undergone a horrific civil war which tore the country apart, unlike West Pakistan.
Any word yet on Chinese grooming gangs?
Why bother to groom a dog if you’re going to skin and cook it?
Why bother to groom a dog if you’re going to skin and cook it?
Any word yet on Chinese grooming gangs?
As an American, I would like to add that the financing of Pakistan – largely of its military was carried out by the US during the cold war, largely due to the fact that Pakistan was willing to ally against the Soviets.
It seems likely to me that Pakistan’s current troubles are partly due to its necessary emergence from being a well-paid American ally for most of its early history.
As an American, I would like to add that the financing of Pakistan – largely of its military was carried out by the US during the cold war, largely due to the fact that Pakistan was willing to ally against the Soviets.
It seems likely to me that Pakistan’s current troubles are partly due to its necessary emergence from being a well-paid American ally for most of its early history.
Pakistan should humble itself before God and man. It needs its own Mahatma Ghandhi.
We are ready to send our Gandhis to Pakistan!
We are ready to send our Gandhis to Pakistan!
Pakistan should humble itself before God and man. It needs its own Mahatma Ghandhi.
Knowing next to nothing about international finance, I’ll say that it seems like foreign investment is more often a detriment than an advantage. One option is for the government to start a bunch of state-run projects with the new funds, but unless by virtue of improved organization or motivational power this leads to greater productive capacity in the country, all it will do is reallocate existing capacity to new ventures while fueling inflation. Generally speaking, internal spending will just weaken the currency. Alternatively, the funds can be used to buy external commodities and equipment, which hopefully can be used to jump-start some industries in the purchasing country. This seems better than the first option, but has the drawback of invigorating the economies of foreign countries (maybe the same ones that loaned the money). The route that this article says Pakistan is taking, buying foreign munitions, is maybe the worst, as it leads to no improvement in one’s own economy and makes one’s security dependent on possible future enemies. Of course all of these options beget debt and attendant interest as well.
Knowing next to nothing about international finance, I’ll say that it seems like foreign investment is more often a detriment than an advantage. One option is for the government to start a bunch of state-run projects with the new funds, but unless by virtue of improved organization or motivational power this leads to greater productive capacity in the country, all it will do is reallocate existing capacity to new ventures while fueling inflation. Generally speaking, internal spending will just weaken the currency. Alternatively, the funds can be used to buy external commodities and equipment, which hopefully can be used to jump-start some industries in the purchasing country. This seems better than the first option, but has the drawback of invigorating the economies of foreign countries (maybe the same ones that loaned the money). The route that this article says Pakistan is taking, buying foreign munitions, is maybe the worst, as it leads to no improvement in one’s own economy and makes one’s security dependent on possible future enemies. Of course all of these options beget debt and attendant interest as well.