This essay was first published here, by The Friday Times on Sept. 24, 2024.
Pakistanis are a diverse group of people with different perspectives on many topics. One of the few things most of us can probably agree on is that the Pakistani government is unbelievably incompetent and has been since its inception. It has a horrible habit of making the country’s problems worse instead of solving them. The leaked audio of a man from its security services threatening the family of a member of the Pakistani diaspora in Australia shows exactly how.
Here is a link to a YouTube video that contains the audio and provides some context. But for those who prefer a more concise summary, a Pakistani man living in Australia named Salman Shabbir started a petition and sent tweets that offended someone in Pakistan’s government. This official responded by sending armed men to find Mr. Shabbir’s brother in Pakistan, who took him to a local jail. One of these men then called Mr. Shabbir from his brother’s cell phone and proceeded to threaten and beat his brother as he demanded the offensive tweets be deleted. During their conversation, the officer justified his actions on the basis that the tweets were causing “instability” and argued that, as a Pakistani in Australia, Mr. Shabbir should mind his own business.
There are so many troubling aspects to this incident, it is difficult to know where to begin. For starters, never go after someone’s family. Attacking a person’s family is a good way to make an enemy for life. It can only lead to violence. And deservedly so. People will endure almost anything to avenge a loved one, especially when they are unjustly attacked. Pakistan’s rulers would do well to remember the tale of Mohammad Deif, the architect of the Oct. 7th attack on Israel. The Israeli military murdered his wife, infant son, and three year old daughter in 2014. He responded by spending the better part of a decade planning his revenge which consisted of inflicting Israel’s worst military defeat in 50 years.
Thankfully, Mr. Shabbir responded with such overwhelming courage and grace he managed to diffuse the situation before it escalated further. But attacking his family speaks to a level of incompetence and moral depravity that is difficult to fathom. Taking such a drastic step over a petition or social media commentary suggests a complete misunderstanding of when and how the state should use force. It represents a complete failure by the Pakistani government on every level imaginable.
There are certainly times when the state can and must use force. This was not one of those times. As recently explained in reference to the insurgencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, when members of the security forces abuse their authority or use force inappropriately, they undermine the very institutions they are fighting to protect, leading to the “instability” they are trying to prevent. Force must always be a last resort, and it must only be used in extreme situations such as confronting armed assailants. Neither tweeting, nor starting petitions fall into this category. People have every right to criticize their government, particularly when it is so inept. Denying this right does far more to destabilize a country than letting them speak their minds.
As Machiavelli explained centuries ago in his seminal work, The Prince, keeping the people happy is easy. All it takes is NOT abusing or oppressing them. This incident is a vivid reminder Pakistan’s leaders cannot meet even this depressingly low standard.
Yet another aspect of this episode that illustrates the failings of Pakistan’s rulers is the sentiment Pakistanis living overseas have no right to discuss the affairs of their motherland. This idea is equal parts absurd and shortsighted.
One of the many toxic side effects of having such an unbelievably incompetent and corrupt government is that Pakistan’s economy is poorly run, inefficient, and exceptionally unproductive. For those without family money or connections, Pakistan is a hard place to make an honest living. We could spend volumes going over the data but suffice it to say, most socio-economic indices suggest it is a miserable place to live for the average person.
As a result, millions of Pakistanis have made the difficult choice to flee their country in search of a better life. Over 1.62 million left in just 2023. There are already more than 625,000 Pakistanis in America and another 1.5 million in the UK along with millions more throughout the Middle East. To expect these people to forget about the place of their birth simply because they no longer reside there ignores an intrinsic part of human nature. People are naturally drawn to the land of their forefathers and will often take an interest in its history and affairs. Many will even retain an inexplicable affection and love for their homeland despite having precious few memories of it.
Pakistan’s rulers should be grateful those lucky enough to escape their dysfunction remain so vested in the well-being of their motherland. As a community, Pakistan’s diaspora remits billions back home every year. These funds provide one of the many crutches its leaders use to mask their theft and misrule, insulating them from the need to change. Suggesting those who send their hard-earned money back home should remain quiet ignores their contributions to the nation’s financial well-being and the longevity of its rulers. It also ignores another obvious truth; those who help pay the nation’s bills have every right to comment on how it is run.
From a more strategic perspective, attacking or dismissing overseas Pakistanis is a criminal waste of resources for a country that has very few to squander. Though our time in foreign lands may have imbued us with strange accents and customs, many of us have acquired skills and perspectives that could greatly benefit Pakistan. Like all Pakistan’s people, we are an asset, not a threat.
This scribe, for example, has often dreamed of returning to Pakistan to build a farm. One covered in solar powered greenhouses filled with hydroponic towers and precise irrigation systems to exponentially increase its yield while drastically reducing the amount of water used to achieve it. But investing the necessary capital in a land with insecure property rights, inefficient courts, needlessly violent security agencies, and an opaque regulatory environment known for its corruption is daunting, to say the least. Compounding the problem, Pakistan’s army has decided it wants to enter the field of corporate farming too. Which means this imaginary farm would be competing against its well-connected generals.
Instead of creating an environment that would allow overseas Pakistanis to help the country to our full potential, Pakistan’s leaders prefer to unjustly attack innocent people. Which is one more reason the assault on Mr. Shabbir’s brother epitomizes the self-inflicted dysfunction that has chased so many Pakistanis away and kept the nation so weak and unstable for so long.
The sad truth is that Pakistan is not on a sound trajectory. It is currently dealing with two violent insurgencies, a failing economy, crushing debt, a rising India and the looming threat of climate change as it struggles to rebuild from the floods of 2022. It is well past time for Pakistan’s leaders to admit their way of doing things is not working. They must change course before it is too late. Unfortunately, the egregious nature of this episode suggests they never will.
Of course, they are not alone in their self-destructive behavior. The phenomenon of transnational repression has been well documented as being practiced by many of the world’s nations. America, Israel, India, Iran, and Russia have all attacked and murdered people outside their territory via extrajudicial means. Compared to the crimes committed by so many of the world’s nations, it may seem unfair to castigate Pakistan’s government over what was ultimately a minimal use of force.
As we were all taught as children, just because the rest of the world is jumping off a bridge does not mean Pakistan should follow. The world’s governments are certainly taking a collective turn towards authoritarianism and right-wing ideologies. Even the supposedly liberal democracies of the West have a very hypocritical view of free speech and often treat peaceful dissent as treason. Jingoism and tribalism are the order of the day. But, as these nations will eventually find out, this is not the path to long-term peace, prosperity, or power.
Building a strong society, especially for a nation as diverse as Pakistan, requires not only tolerating dissent and criticism but encouraging it. Constructive criticism, grounded in logic and the free exchange of ideas. These are the foundations upon which vibrant intellectual climates are built. Without one, it is impossible to nurture technological innovation or create governments that are responsive to the needs of their people. Absent these ingredients, commerce languishes, and military power fails. As such, building a wealthy, powerful state requires guaranteeing freedom of expression and encouraging people to speak their minds.
Pakistan’s leaders need to remember their job is not to stifle dissent but to listen to it and that true patriotism requires criticism, not blind loyalty. Due to its large population and well-equipped military, Pakistan has the potential to be the Muslim world’s most powerful state. However, it will never reach this potential unless its rulers take these lessons to heart. Until then, they will remain their own worst enemy.
