The collapse of Pakistan

Pakistan is on the brink of economic collapse and some analysts predict its disintegration into four or five smaller states, in the near future. It is being said that staff in its diplomatic missions have not been paid their salaries for months now. Food shortages have plagued the nation worst hit by the effects of devastating floods last year. A series of power outages across major cities brought industrial production also to a grinding halt, forcing the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif to apologize to the nation. Media reports say that hundreds of shipping containers have been lying unclaimed because their Letters of Credit could not be redeemed by banks. It is believed that losses of traders importing perishables like potatoes and onions have only gone up, driving the cost of commodities across the country. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves now stand at $4 billion which would be sufficient to tide over its economic crisis for just two weeks, according to experts. Analysts say that food shortages will drive the Pakistani civilian population to raid military warehouses where food grains have been stocked on a priority basis by the defence forces fearing a rebellion in army ranks should food scarcities affect it. Where does Pakistan seek aid now? So far, Saudi Arabia and UAE have been lukewarm in their approach smashing to smithereens Pakistan’s belief that it is the frontline state of Islamic nations. Reports state that UAE’s promise of aid to the extent of $1.2 billion has not been fulfilled yet. The IMF has placed certain conditions on releasing the loan sought by Pakistan and its all-weather friend, China finds itself in a deep economic mess, to the extent that it is not in a position to help its neighbor. Pakistan’s collapse symbolizes a Karmic payback for its dependence on terror as a state policy, and it’s sheltering of terrorists like Hafiz Sayeed, Masood Azhar, and others including Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind behind the horrific 1993 Mumbai blasts. Since the eighties, it has been using terror as a state policy deluding itself of inflicting a thousand small cuts on India. Numerous terrorist attacks sponsored by the ISI have taken the lives of thousands of civilians over the years. While India has only risen on the international stage and is now the fifth largest economy in the world with foreign exchange reserves of over $600 billion, Pakistan is reduced to going around globally with a begging bowl. Sadly, Pakistan has still not learned its lessons as seen from the brash behavior of its Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto at the UN recently, where India’s Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar rightly termed Pakistan as the world’s epicenter of terrorism. The Narendra Modi government has wisely decided not to hold any peace talks with Pakistan unless it eschews its policy of terror. The latest overture from Shehbaz Sharif for peace with India is simply a move to placate the IMF rather than a sincere attempt to mend fences and make peace with its neighbor. The Modi government’s stand is yielding expected results, as far as Indo-Pak relations are concerned, perhaps for the first time since 1947.