Introduction
Many countries face the challenge of national integration but in some cases their leadership is able to integrate diverse people by ensuring social justice, tolerance, rule of law, good governance and democratic pluralism. Pakistan`s quest for national integration would remain elusive unless the bottom-top approach is adopted where a sense of belonging to the country evolves at the grassroots` level. Care for the resources of the country and pursuing a tolerant approach those who are different in race, language, class, religion and sect will go a long way in promoting what is called as `Pakistaniat.` Promoting the culture of merit instead of favoritism and nepotism is also the essence to achieve the goal of national integration.
Pakistan has also failed in the establishing of stable effective political system or institutions. During 65 years Pakistan has been governed under 5 constitutions one inherited from the British and its own formations run by various political systems, 4 Martial laws and one civil Martial.Pakistan from the very beginning has been confronted with identity crisis. Successive Pakistani regimes never came to a reasonable understanding with the five major ethno-linguistic groups i.e. Bangalis, Sindhis, Baluchis, Punjabs and Pakhtoons. Ethnic and linguistic differences arose in the very beginning of the emergence of Pakistan. It cannot create ethnic or national homogeneity throughout the country. It only means to establish a common socio-political system, common state, common citizenship and the sense of identity of belonging together. It means building unity on top of the accessible uniformity and not substituting an imitation new identity for the old ones. Due to the regular failure of national building and national integration it was/ is very difficult to convert the masses into one single citizenship.
The processes of disintegration started in Pakistan first by the question of language. This was one of the major problem that not only became ultimately the decisive cause of disintegration but also gave birth to other problems. The major factors responsible for these severe problems were the attitude of the army and the bureaucracy, who are the direct descendants of the British and were unable to provide an independent nation and democratic government. It was bureaucracy both civil and military, which does not belong to any nationality and any region of Pakistan but it is a supera-nationality and supra regional class.
Causes of Failure of National Integration in Pakistan
There were/are so many factors which became the causes of failure of national integration in Pakistan. Some of the important factors are as under:
Linguistic Issue
The dynamic process of national integration, generated by the enthusiasm of a separate homeland, was disrupted by the language controversy only after three months of independence. The enthusiasm and the emotions which were shown by the freedom fighters during Pakistan movements cooled down gradually and slowly. In this condition tolerance, patience was very necessary for the country. The lacked of a stable constitution and considering political stability danger for the growth of democracy by the political leaders for their self interest created the feelings of disparity among the masses. The issue started from Educational Conference, held at Karachi on November 1947. Fazlur Rehman, Bengali Minister of Education introduced reforms in educational system, which would dropped Bengalis from all government stationeries, including money order forms, envelopes and postcards, which would be printed only in Urdu and English. Urdu was declared the national language of Pakistan. Tamaddun Majlish and other Bengalis in the conference opposed this decision. The imposition of Urdu as national language resulted one of the major causes for the loss of East Pakistan.
Bengali was the mother tongue of 54 percent of the people of all Pakistan and 98 percent of East Pakistan. According to the principle of democracy Bengali should have been the first choice as the state language of Pakistan. But the political Elite in Pakistan made all efforts to made Urdu, the mother tongue and a spoken language of only 4 percent of the people of Pakistan, as the only state language. Naturally, the Bengalis reacted very sharply and strongly opposed this decision. The situation became worsted that Quaid visited Dacca and control the situation. But after his death, once again the students of Dacca University as well as Bangali leaguers demanded to declare Bengali as the national Language. Syed Sulaiman Nadvi and Khwaja Nazim ud Din favored Urdu and their statement had fueled the fire. The campaign reached from bad to worse and ultimately the constituent Assembly, discussed a constitutional draft to declared Urdu and Benagli as the official language of the country. The bill was passed by the Assembly in May 1953.This decision of the assembly gave courage to other ethnic groups who started agitation for their own concerned and thus in 1970 Sindhis also riots on language issues and was argued that learning of Urdu is simply for national communicational requirements under Urdu-dominated system of the country.
National language is supposed to unite a country but in Pakistan, national language became the sources of failure of national integration and due it regionalism phenomena up their heads in the country.
Bureaucrats Setup
There is a direct relationship between bureaucracy and National Integration of Pakistan. Pakistan had inherited its bureaucrat setup from British. After independence people of this country struggling for achieving their objectives, but the bureaucracy in its pursuit of power has contrived to keep the people divided.
In Pakistan whatever it was during the military regimes of Ayyub and Yahya or the civilian governments of pre-1958 and Bhutto’s government, the main instrument of formulating and implementing the nation-building policies was the bureaucracy.
In Pakistan bureaucracy forced the various regions of the country to stay under the umbrella of one nation but failed to create a sense of nationhood in the society. While they tired their level best for centralize administration and communication in order to maintain the unity of the state but failed. People all over the country feel this deprivation. However the people responded differently in different areas. While attitude of people in different provinces were different toward the bureaucratic setup of the country. The people of Punjab accepted it while in the region like Baluchistan and Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa was critic. The policies of the bureaucracy has helped to build the state but failed to promote national building process. Pakistan is one of the bureaucratic states and it’s the most powerful institution in the country. The political parties and weak press have always been under the controlled by bureaucracy and therefore ineffective. Only judiciary has some independence but during Zia regime it was also reduced to the status of a loyal and obedient servant.
Democracy is the basic element for national integration unfortunately in Pakistan it always depended on bureaucracy for guidance and help. This dependence would ultimately lead to the rule of bureaucracy. Thus it became the solo power of the country and destroyed constitutional and democratic process. The bureaucrats remain aloof from the masses, and consider them their subjects. All the policy makers whether it was in Ayub khan Government or his Martial Law of the dictatorship of Yahya Khan or in the Bhutto,s civil martial law or the other governments, were bureaucratic in nature. It was because the politicians were incapable to from a policy and to implement it. That’s why bureaucracy has to control the whole nation. It also abrogated the constitution of 1956-62 and also ended the rule of Bhutto, these all were the causes which led the country towards disintegration.
There are many causes of the segregation of East Pakistan but the bureaucracy’s role is very important. After 1970 election when bureaucracy interfered in postponed the date of National Assembly meeting rift the national integration. The bureaucracy in Pakistan has been referred to as a self-sustaining group which is supra regional in character, and thus their nature is in obstacle in the way of national building.
Ethnic Issue
Pakistan is the country with multi ethnic diversity. Different diameter such as religion, language, territory and caste, give birth violent conflicts among different ethnic identities of Pakistan. The issue gave birth after the linguistic movement run by East Pakistanis in 1948.The event which gave rebirth to ethnic identities was the attitude of Bengalis towards Objective Resolution in 1949. Than the attitude of religious leaders towards minority’s rights and especially on the issue of Ahmedies opened ways for minorities to strengthen their status and they demanded more rights for their existence. Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict in Pakistan Political influential of different provinces, who had lost their turfs and were too weak to reinforce their personalities after partition, projected regional sentiments. Sindh Mutthida Mahaz, Jeay Sindh, Baloch Verna, Pakhtun Zalmry and National Awami Party, these parochial parties became active in putting demands on political system of Pakistan for giving them provincial autonomy.
Central ruling authority intentionally or unintentionally adopted such policies, which widened gap between these groups particularly in East Pakistan. The economic strategies followed by the central government, kept East Pakistan under-developed. The door of the power structure (politico, administrative and military) was closed on the Bengalis on one cause or the other. For example, the Ayub Khan period especially shield an ethnic bias. 22 families controlled 2/3 of Pakistan’s industries assets 70% of insurance companies and 80% of banking most of them belong to West Pakistan. Such economic condition became a major source to create a sense of insecurity among Bengalis, Sheikh Mujeeb put forward his Six-Point Agenda, which was ethnically triggered, politically mobilized and ethnically fuelled, brought serious upheavals. The 1971 election were also failed to overcome the gap between East and West wing. In result East Pakistan became a new state in shape of Bangaladish.
These centrist identities are in turn challenged by regional/provincial and ethnic identities, that include Pashtun, Baloch, Sindhi, Punjabi and since 1980s the Muhajir (refugees from India who came to Pakistan after 1947). There are other identities challenging for identification along with these. They include Saraiki, Makranis and Barohis, Chitralis, Gilgitis and Hazarawals in KPK.
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