Today, Pakistan marks a special anniversary, its 71st Independence Day, in a very different shape than the one perceived by its founding father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. His vision for a new Muslim homeland was that of a pluralistic society, equality for all, rule of law, and a corruption-free democratic polity. Laying out guideline principles in his August 11, 1947, address to the Constituent Assembly he had declared, "you may belong to any religion, caste or creed, that has nothing to do with the business of the State. We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one community or another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens, and equal citizens of one State." Furthermore, he said, "One of the biggest curses from which India is suffering - I do not say that other countries are free from it, but, I think our condition is much worse - is bribery and corruption. That really is a poison. We must put that down with an iron hand, and I hope that you will take adequate measures as soon as it is possible for this assembly to do so."

Seven decades on, all those principles of nation-building lie by the wayside. Consequently, the country has lost its majority population province, another unit of the federation remains restive, while religious extremists are fighting the State, and the political scene is once again in turmoil following the ouster of an elected prime minister on corruption charges. Things started to go wrong early on, just 11 years after independence, when the political process was brought to a screeching halt with the imposition of first military rule. During his 10 years at the helm, General Ayub Khan sowed the seeds of erstwhile East Pakistan's secession, creating a sense of alienation among the Bengali people by denying them what they thought were their legitimate economic rights. His immediate military successor refused to honour East Pakistan-based Awami League's electoral mandate, deciding instead to use force that led to tragic consequences. Under General Yahya Khan, Quaid's vision of a modern democratic state would take another hit. It was his information minister who first trotted out 'Islamic Ideology' claiming it to be a founding tenet of the State. Later, General Ziaul Haq would make an even more unabashed use of religion for 11 long years to perpetuate his rule. His regime encouraged a mushroom growth of sectarian seminaries, introduced bigoted content in school curricula, enacted controversial laws, and made amendments to the Constitution that would hang like the Sword of Damocles over several future civilian governments. The last military dictator General Pervez Musharraf also employed religion-based tactics to keep opposition politicians from the 2002 general elections, before raising the slogan of 'enlightened moderation' in response to the post-9/11 international environment. It is worth noting too that financial corruption in high places started under the Ayub regime and burgeoned under Ziaul Haq's. Between them, the four generals presided over the national affairs for almost half of this country existence, causing a grievous harm to the country's federal structure, distorting the national narrative, weakening institutions, and promoting a system of patronages and corruption to prolong their stay in power.

Indeed, the political class has its share of the blame for colluding with military adventurists; and when in power, for mismanagement and weak governance. Even so, considering that any functioning democratic system has self-correcting mechanisms, Pakistan would be a strong and stable democracy had the political process not been repeatedly interrupted. The dark past notwithstanding, there are signs now of a brighter future. Although former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been ejected, he has been removed through due process. The Army has been careful to keep out of the political fray. And the democratic process stays on course. That calls for celebrating the 71st birthday of Pakistan in a befitting manner.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017