Reimagining Pakistan: need for a plausible roadmap.

In his well-researched book, Reimagining Pakistan Transforming A Dysfunctional Nuclear State, Husain Haqqani argues, 'Pakistan must also overcome archaic notions of national security. Instead of viewing itself as a 'warrior nation' it could be a 'trading nation' that can take advantage of its location for economic purposes. Pakistan could easily be the trans-shipment route for goods and services between India, the Middle East and Central Asia. It could have oil and gas pipelines running through it, with attending benefits.'

In contemporary Pakistan, the vision to reimagine the country which is economically broke, politically instable and has fragile state institutions is being debated for quite some time, including in a recent series of seminars on 'Reimaging Pakistan' hosted by Shahid Khakan Abbasi, Mitfah Ismail and Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.

Husain Haqqani, a former student leader, politician and ambassador now teaching in an American University, further writes in his book, 'India and Afghanistan would be major trading partners instead of being viewed as permanent enemies or strategic threats. High literacy, global connectivity, increased agricultural and industrial productivity and a prosperous citizenry would be the goals of the state in a reimagined Pakistan.'

Can a country which emerged 75 years ago on the map of the world be reimagined? How can re-inventing, restructuring, revitalising, rediscovering and reimagining the state exposed to bad governance, absence of rule of law, lack of accountability, corruption, nepotism, extremism, violence and terrorism help in bettering things? Without a leadership which is visionary, hardworking, intelligent and honest, the country cannot be transformed into a successful state. A close study of successful models of development in the West and also in the developing world would reflect how leadership of such countries through a process of rigorous hardwork, intelligence, integrity and merit was able to excel in human and social development.

Reimagining Pakistan may be a fantasy if viewed in the context of unabated failures in governance, rule of law, accountability, economy and political stability, but a nuclear-armed country of 240 million people with the world's sixth largest military cannot afford to be at the bottom in human security index, quality of life of people, human rights and governance.

Roadmap to reimage Pakistan is not an impossible task but would require four major conditions to be...