Incorrigible Impressions!

Book Review: Non-fiction/Beyond the Crisis State,Edited by Maleeha Lodhi, Rupa Publications/2011, 391 pp; Rs495 {Hardback}
Maleeha Lodhi, a seasoned diplomat and journalist from Pakistan has presented an out of box thinking on her crisis ridden nation. Barring few, the total seventeen essays of this book introduces the readers to an alternative side of Pakistan, which is more humane and less skewed. In the beginning, Ayesha Jalal gives a very fair historical narration of Pakistan through her piece/ The Past as Present…she on her level best proved again that free voices are mean for free flow. Next essay/ Why Jinnah Matters by Akber Ahmed is the single biggest blunder of this book…his relying on Jinnah’s virulent ideas stands against the idea of this anthology. Feroze Hassan Khan’s Pakistan as a nuclear State, Munir Akram’s Reversing Strategic ‘Shrinkage’ and The India Factor by Syed Rifaat Hussain disappoints with the surprising assertion of stereo typed misconceptions that have been dampening factors for Pakistan as a modern nation state.

The lead essay written by Maleeha succeeded to form a new kind of overview on Pakistan where emphasis have accorded to the areas hitherto been neglected in the realm of social research and even literature. Rest essays are routes through similar conceptions and highlight another face of Pakistan, beyond its notorious feudal structure and undefined democracy. Stress on the untapped or under tapped potential of Pakistan’s economy and its elite educated middle class reminds that all the Pakistani’s are not in romance with “enigma of terror”, rather they are closer to the reality and aspiring for a life based on well searched trajectories. This optimism is incorrigible, even though it manifests the will of a chunk of Pakistan’s population that’s sophisticated and knows the plight of living in anti-modern political/military climax!

Sixty-four years back, Lord Mountbatten accomplished the India’s brutal division on communal line and placing the contemporary political action in the desired cage of hibernation and reactionism. The immediate fallouts came with a toll of life around half million people and civilisations most traumatic human displacement that permanently fixed the hatredness as a central locale in South Asia. An ill conceived nation, Pakistan, even damned its self more in the further course with consistent military misrules and inconsistent democratic interventions. Idea of economy and human developments were backyarded for engaging India in strategic race…all that have been happening at the cost of undermining India’s vibrant fundamentals and its voyage as a nation in making with impressive economies of scale.

This book atleast shows the way, where to make changes that can reestablished the confidence of those citizens who weighs normally more than the cacophony of rulers with no moral ground. Most of the contributors of this work have international recognition in their own sphere, so sharing of candid ideas will be sure proliferate rational understanding on Pakistan. Ahead, the discourse should be lead to a point, where apart from middle class, the will of higher and bottom classes could be judged through an optimum standard-democracy or destabilization? Pakistan must have to follow a normal path instead being a wayward wayfarer of China, as U.S has already started displaying its maximum apathy to Pakistan’s perilous dualism on terrorism…also noticeably, China should not be expected to eclipse the strategic dominance of U.S in short or medium run. This time, Pakistan is at the crossroad and has no pathfinder that could show it the way of course correction…like a nasty teenager, unwillingly but finally Pakistan has to be fit with a universally acceptable character. Integrated worlds demand it and Pakistan can’t show any more hitches on behavioural side.

Though implicitly, voices heard from this book streamlines the Pakistan’s potential ideal agenda by following the path of progress and targeting the goal of human development over the foolish programming of bomb and weaponry maximization. Besides, there is also no reason, why Pakistan can’t engage India as the most essential ally…alone a progress on this particular issue will solve the sizable adversities of Pakistan. Delinking from Kashmir and trustable partnership with the neighbours will give Pakistan a prominent position in the subcontinent and that will be millionth time better than the parasiteness on U.S dollars. Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State, is a forceful intervention for much needed change to the betterment of ongoing suffering prospects in the backdrop of Pakistan’s incessant misadventures with its basic existence. Pakistan and the world together, should admit that the incubation of terror always pays dividend and obviously in very bad and high scale. Optimism for ones nation is fine enough, so shall be the following actions…ahead of lip services!
Atul Kumar Thakur
October 25, 2011, New Delhi
Email: summertickets@gmail.com