“And there assume some other horrible form,/ Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason, And draw you into madness? Think of it” — William Shakespeare.
It is generally presumed that a thin line separates sanity from insanity, but within that thin line are contained a million reasons why it is espousal of the former that should take precedence in our thinking and our calculations. Even a momentary lapse into the other domain can generate countless pitfalls, each new one more lethal than the last.
It is also believed that diplomacy and politics encompass a world of possibilities as opposed to walking the spite-trodden path even when it would lead to the brink and beyond. I am certain that, at each obstruction along the way, one would be tempted to think of options that may guide safely to the destination but, somehow, one remains besotted with choosing the path riddled with barriers and blockages.
As the drumbeats of economic revival at home and diplomatic successes abroad become deafening, one is plunged into a world trying to sift reality from fiction. The claim of economic revival is enveloped, on the one hand, in an ever-mounting pile of debt that we owe to the world, and, on the other hand, it shows through in unworthy acts like the reported $30 billion discrepancy in Pakistan’s trade data.
While the Pakistan Single Window recorded imports of $321 billion during the period July 2020 to June 2025, the State Bank of Pakistan registered only $291 billion through formal banking channels. This raises questions about the accuracy of Pakistan’s trade reporting system, as it could potentially be masking underreported imports, which could have been used to evade taxes. So far, Pakistan has resisted allowing the technical mission proposed by the IMF to investigate the issue.
If one were to choose the path of rationality, Pakistan is not only faced with unprecedented challenges, but more are being added for a depleting level of ability and capacity to deal with. Each new adversarial front that we open, internally or externally, puts further burden on our meagre national resources.
But the most lethal component of the evolving weakness is the absence of credible leadership that could guide Pakistan through these turbulent times. Yet the narrative continues to insist that the leaders who have been hoisted without public mandate and who, till very recently, were projected as the most corrupt lot, having looted the country of its assets to build businesses and properties abroad, are the best around.
Yet another aspect of our progress is reflected in every national asset being put up for sale to win temporary economic relief. Along with that, it is also national honour and dignity which are being traded off for paltry gains in the political context necessitated by the frenetic urge to somehow hold on to the reins of power.
We don’t have anyone to blame for this catastrophe that has struck us. We have brought this upon ourselves. Stolen elections have catapulted a bunch of captive charlatans to manage the government. They neither have people’s trust nor the ability to earn it. They are trying the old tricks they have mastered through their manipulated stints in power in the past: steal the elections, put the opposition behind bars, indulge in an unchecked spree of loot and plunder, and depart for an interregnum — only to come back and play their odious game again.
Because of the use of repressive tactics, new fault lines have begun to emerge, reflecting growing unrest. We are a country caught up in the twin scourge of economic enslavement and political subservience. There are sane voices that underline the need to pursue a pragmatic approach. At a media briefing in Washington recently, the federal finance minister conceded that “sustained economic development and investor confidence depended on domestic peace and political cohesion”. Both are missing at this juncture.
Terror and terrorist organisations must be targeted and eliminated. But those who are chosen by the people, and whose mandate has been stolen by the state and whose leader and his political associates and workers are put behind bars by registering fake and fraudulent cases against them, are not enemies of the state. They seek engagement, which paves the way forward. They demand justice, which is their inalienable right.
They should not be spurned but reciprocated with sincerity and a sense of purpose. If that does not happen, the state would come across wearing an apparel of partisanship, which will widen the fault lines, as those lacking people’s trust do not possess the ability to address the mounting challenges and steer the country beyond turbulence and unrest into calmer environs.
It is not a Pythagoras theorem that one needs to solve. The divisive policies pursued by the ruling beneficiary elite have resulted in increasing debt unserviceability, lack of investor trust, economic downturn and political instability. All indicators point towards further worsening of the situation as the mandate thieves are embroiled more in vanquishing the opposition than charting a course for the future. In the process, vast segments of society have been alienated.
The state is within its rights to use measured options to quell insurgencies and violent unrest and facilitate people to the negotiating table. But it cannot use brutal, unlimited power against those who enjoy the voters’ mandate and seek dialogue to build homogeneity and harmony. The state cannot afford to say no to engaging with its own people who have a treasured history of peaceful political struggle.
Every society depends on the voices of sanity present within its folds to curb divisions and move forward. We have an abundance of voices of sanity. As Faraz sahib had warned us: “When sound of music shall die,/ And sane voices shall be extinct,/ When habitats shall be razed aground,/ Who shall you then hit with stones?”
It is time to pause and ponder: why are we fighting our own people? Why are we pursuing policies which will cultivate inciteful fault lines? It is time to bring everyone together, not drive them apart. Let sane voices speak forth.
The writer is a political and security strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute. He is a former special assistant to former PM Imran Khan and heads the PTI’s policy think-tank. He tweets RaoofHasan
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.