Ambition Unlimited: Pakistan’s Roadmap to Economic Power

घास की रोटी खाएंगे परमाणु बम बनाएंगे |

हमारे पास आधा पौना पाओ के परमाणु बम भी है |

Don’t be amazed; this is not our Hindi site. We have deliberately used these two statements.

These two statements aptly describe the conundrum Pakistan has faced since its inception. The statements also explain the fanaticism of the Pakistani establishment and military industrial complex. In antithesis to logic, Pakistan have always sought refuge behind the nuclear bomb and the nuclear armada, out of cowardice.

Some may argue that these ideas are outdated and that there is no continuum in this line of thinking in our western neighbor. But through this article, we will decipher roadmap of Pakistan to recuperate its economy, and obviously, it revolves around nuclear rhetoric.

A cleric reveals a panacea for Pakistan’s woes

The current situation in Pakistan is worse even by the dysfunctional standards of the Islamic Republic. It is facing a serious balance of payment (BoP) crisis. Recently, a Pakistan-based investment firm, Arif Habib Limited (AHL), has highlighted that the Foreign Exchange (Forex) reserve of the Islamic nation is at its lowest since February 2014. Its forex reserve is now slated at a nine-year low of $3.09 billion. With such meagre forex, Pakistan can only afford 18 days’ worth of imports.

However, it appears that Pakistan has discovered a method to overcome its miseries and even force nations to bow down before it. Recently, a notorious cleric presented a remarkable plan to alleviate Pakistan’s current economic crisis and eradicate poverty. The leader of the Tehreek-e-Labek Party and Muslim cleric Saad Rizvi proclaimed his brilliant idea. Ironically, it is a repackaged version of the earlier strategy used by its former heads of state and military despots without seeking a patent.

Also read: Even Pakistan’s Arabian masters are fed up with their pep talks on Kashmir

In a viral video, Saad Rizvi lambasted the administration. He said that they pleaded with everyone in the world to rescue Pakistan’s economy. For that, they take the President, Prime Minister, Chief of Army Staff, and all the cabinet members. He added that while some offer assistance, others refuse, and some impose their conditions. To end this utter humiliation, Rizvi suggested that, rather than pleading before the western nations, Pakistan should issue a nuclear threat to them. Simply put, extort money rather than beg.

TLP leader Saad Rizvi said, “Let’s go to the West with the Quran in one hand and a box of nuclear bombs in the other hand.”

Mind you, it is the same TLP led by Saad Rizvi and his father, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, that strained Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with France. At the pinnacle of the Charlie Hebdo fiasco, TLP had rallied the fanatic group along with the orthodox Awam to issue clear-cut warnings for the civilian government and army chief to end diplomatic ties with France and declare the French ambassador persona non grata. The funny thing was that there was no French ambassador posted in Pakistan at that time.

That’s why these rhetorical statements can’t be dubbed as an opinion of the fringe element in Pakistan. It has been a major cause of worry for the world that, in case of economic collapse, a situation of anarchy can prevail in Pakistan. Consequently, there is a grave danger of terrorist organisations getting control over Pakistan’s nukes.

The blatant threat from religiously fanatical TLP is a regular affair, and the below-mentioned economic downfall should be a chilling warning to the world. So, in order to devise a possible solution for safeguarding nuclear assets in the event of the inevitable bankruptcy and balkanization of Pakistan.

Also read: Indus Water Treaty: India has set the timer on the balkanisation of Pakistan

Pakistan’s Economy in Freefall: Grim Numbers Show a Bleak Picture

Pakistan’s economy is in dire straits, with the country’s foreign exchange reserves reaching a nine-year low of $3.09 billion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is reportedly harshening the conditions to release its bail-out package of $1.18 billion. The oil companies in Pakistan are also on the verge of collapse due to the economic crisis and devaluation of the currency.

The Pakistani rupee has taken a major hit and is now eyeing 300 per dollar. The country is facing a balance of payments crisis, and the falling value of the rupee is driving up the cost of imported goods. Inflation is at a 48-year high, and IMF officials have rushed to Pakistan. However, the bailout package may not be enough to save the nation.

Balochistan has stopped paying salaries to government employees due to a lack of funds. This will be the nation’s 23rd bailout since 1958, which is the most by any nation in this period. The economic core of the country is rotten, and even the $6.5 billion IMF bailout in 2019 has not been enough to save it.

Also read: One of Pakistani army’s own busts its war waging tactics

The military in Pakistan consumes nearly 25% of the budget and runs more than 50 commercial entities, earning an annual income of around $1.5 billion. This, along with the budgetary spending to repay lenders, has left only 15% of the budget to run the country.

Pakistan normally satisfies more than a third of its yearly power demand with imported natural gas, but the price of this commodity has risen due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Imran Khan administration placed Pakistan into a $6 billion IMF programme in 2019, which was increased to $7 billion in 2022. The government and the IMF are currently negotiating a release of $1.18 billion.

The role of an army in a nation is to protect its sovereignty, but this is not the case in Pakistan. Instead, the Pakistani army uses the guise of a perceived threat from India to exploit and drain resources from the country for their own benefit.

The recent threat by TLP leaders is not a new development, but rather a continuation of the pitiful thought process of Pakistani war mongering generals who, in the end, always flee the battleground or meekly surrender in the event of an actual battle. The ambitious, or rather utterly foolhardy, plan by the Islamic cleric is not a plan for Pakistan’s economic prosperity but rather a roadmap for the oblivion of the nation.

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