SWOT ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN 2020

PAK ARMY RANKS TOP IN TERMS OF IDEOLOGY AND SPIRIT

There is an old saying ‘’ He that apes others will never be himself’’, in the native language, “KAWA CHALA HANS KI CHAAL APNI CHAAL BHI BHUL GYA.” I would later explain why I used this sub-title.

Let’s start with STRENGTHS; every country has a center of gravity like what we see in the case of brands as Core brand values. Pakistan is overwhelmingly an agricultural state where more than 60 % population still belongs to this sector.

A few months back chatting randomly with a relative-cum-friend MR. CHEEMA, I decided to write on this topic. Mr. CHEEMA is a govt servant and I can’t expose his full name as he is already transferred out of the station. He highlighted many areas in central and southern Punjab that have been left uncultivated due to Govt’s negligence.

It seems bizarre to invest heavily in other sectors like IT when our core STRENGTH (the agriculture sector) is not fully mature. Our agricultural output per acre is 1/3 of our neighboring country. A small effort in this area can bring far-reaching benefits.

Although we should invest in other fields including IT to cope with modern challenges but neglecting our strong areas would be counterproductive. Our neighbor India has a striking IT ranking worldwide, but it achieved such status once it had a fully matured Agricultural economy.

Conclusively, instead of copying others, we need to know our own identity and STRENGTH. There is already a stern identity crisis everywhere in the country. It is rightly said, He that apes others will never be himself’’.

Our borders are quite safe as our Army has a successful policy of maintaining minimum deterrence and zero-tolerance against intrusions (Abi Nandhan’s adventure is a recent example). Moreover, Pakistan Army ranks highest in terms of spirit and ideology like Iran and Isreal. However, spirit is not the only factor that counts to overall strength but still a highly desired virtue.

Our Relations with neighbors excluding China have never been ideal. Our deteriorating relations with Iran and Afghanistan are not merely due to our weakness rather India’s ever-increasing influence in the region. I mean to say an enemy’s STRENGTH is also a THREAT.

The biggest WEAKNESS lies in the whole socio-political system, our moral standards, and above all our unpremeditated slavery to capitalism. Moreover, the ruthless axis of evil (mafia) in the form of the feudal-military coalition along with a clergy blend impedes all possible moves towards a progressive society.

The same MAFIA is sabotaging Imran Khan’s efforts against corruption. Everyone knows who managed the escape of dishonest capitalists like Nawaz and Zardari. The demonstration of a military shoe by FAISAL WAVDA in a live TV show is enough to answer all these issues.

When it comes to OPPORTUNITIES we have CPEC on hand; also, there are ideal civil-military relations, unlike the past eras. If all goes well with CPEC we could control ever-escalating youth bulge: Youth bulge which is, of course, the biggest THREAT as well as an OPPORTUNITY. All we need is a better policy on how to manage and cope with this challenge.

It may sound weird but the wealth plundered jointly by capitalists and civil-mili bureaucracy would have been enough to combat youth bulge: or even used to structure a tribal paramilitary force resembling NLI or MUJAHID regiment. These steps were supposed to be taken a decade back but now after bearing grave losses, we are bringing them to the mainstream.

Meanwhile, if Russia could bring oil prices to an ultra-low range as it claims, then it may have positive implications for Pakistan and the rest of the world as it would reduce the world’s dependency over US-Arab oil. Best hopes for ongoing Putin-Trump oil negotiations.

Conclusion: we need radical steps towards nationalization particularly in the agriculture sector and education. It is necessary to limit the capitalist’s hegemony over resources so to make the state a tool in the hands of the proletariat (working class) for everyone’s interest rather than becoming a tool in the hands of Bourgeoisie (capitalists) to control the poor.

The writer can be reached at https://www.fiverr.com/chfakhargul?up_rollout=true

Email: chfakhargul@gmail.com