Is Pakistan really a state? The definition of a state encompasses that a state must safeguard the interests of society for the common good. A state is supposed to protect its people, the very people that make themselves a characteristic of a state. In its history Pakistan has been and is still to an extent involved in genocidal activities in its territory with its own people. These acts of Genocide put a question mark on Pakistan’s existence as a state.
In 1971 West Pakistan committed a Genocide against its own people of East Pakistan. West Pakistan did not expect that a representative of the East would win the elections for Prime Minister of Pakistan. When this happened, West Pakistan, lying to the public about the intentions of an attack, launched a brutal offensive in East Pakistan that humiliated, destroyed and raped its own people.
Since inception, Pakistan has always been involved in ethnic clashes within the boundaries of its land. The biggest of which has been with Baluchistan. Since the early 1970’s, Pakistani authorities have turned their backs on the brutal and systematic killings of ethnic groups in Baluchistan. Baluchistan has been seeking to separate from the Pakistani state ever since.
People within the nation of Pakistan have feared and continuously fear the ruthless authority of the state if at all it can be called that. If a state violates the relationship between itself and its people that it in part exists to protect, can it be called a state? Can it redeem itself to ever become a state again? These are just some of the questions I find myself asking.
3 comments:
No doubt genocide occurred in East Pakistan in 1971. But to say it is still going on right now is a bit too strong. Sure there are many crimes being committed by the state against various peoples, but I don't think there is a systematic effort to exterminate a particular ethnic or religious group in the country today.
Baluchistan, of course, remains extremely problematic and repression by state authorities in this region exacerbates conflict.
Sir but the Ahmedis are a victim of state persecution. By declaring them non Muslims the state put itself on a treacherous path of religious intolerance and bigotry. And now we realize that the seeds of hate that we sowed back then have now become an existential problem for Pakistan and its social fabric.
The definition you gave is one of the many definitions of the state. An alternative definition would be the state as a representative of the dominant class in a country.
In the case of Pakistan we have seen how the state is involved in fulfilling the interests of the Punjabis while ignoring others.
Moreover, as Mr. Nausherwan mentioned, other than the War of 1971, the state's actions cannot be considered genocidal. A genocide involves targeting certain group and trying to eliminate it. Although the state has overlooked the demands of a number of groups but no efforts have been taken by the state after the events of 1971 to eliminate a particular group.
Post a Comment