National

integratio
n
Context:PAKISTAN
NAVEED ULLAH

INTRODUCTON:

National integration signifies a continuous process bonding together the individuals from various socio-
cultural and ethnic backgrounds into a common national identity to create the joint sense of oneness,
harmony and national consciousness.
More precisely, national integration is a quest for unanimity within the state regardless of religion, race,
creed or ethnic traits and language. It ties up every section of the society for a combined purpose of
serving and developing a nation state therefore, it has great bearing and relevance to national security
and nationhood. A nation is an evolved community having particular territory, common history, values,
language, ethnicity, and psychological characteristics of oneness.

Pakistan's foundation was based on Quaid-i-Azam's vision of a separate democratic homeland for
Muslims, governed on principles of Islamic ideas of social justice and equality. However, the country
faced internal and external complexities that made nation-building difficult. The period from 1947 to
1971 was stressful and unstable for federal integration, with administrative and governance challenges,
economic and political instabilities pushing the military to power, emerging sub-nationalist tendencies
sponsored by hostile agencies, and Indian animosity.

Impediments to National Integration for Pakistan

The ideological divide pushed Pakistan into an endless discourse of constructing the state identity on the
bases of Quaid-i-Azam's vision, socialism during the 1970s, Islamization during 1980, and enlightened
moderation even after 73 years of the country's existence. Political leadership and policymakers have
been involved in the matter of integration, which has become very sensitive and heatedly discussed. The
regional geopolitical implications, such as the USSR invasion in Afghanistan (1979) and the Iranian
revolution (1979), led to the deepening of Saudi-Iran rivalries and the rise of religious intolerance.

The inability of political leadership and policymakers to deliver basic services to the people has
provided a space for the disintegrated multitudes to exploit the situation to their favor, further creating
instability in the country. As of today, the political leadership of Pakistan still faces the challenges of
creating a national identity out of the diverse regional linguistic and cultural identities.

ROLE OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership plays a crucial role in promoting awareness of oneness among disjointed sections of society.
However, after the death of Quaid-i-Azam, Pakistan's leadership has been unable to transform the
centrifugal tendencies of marginalized ethnic groups into centripetal feelings. Even influential leaders
like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto have lost their charisma after the debacle of East Pakistan. The 18th
Amendment, passed in 2010, gave maximum autonomy to provinces, but the leadership seems reluctant
to devolve further power at the grass-root level, hindering individuals' direct participation in decision-
making and causing dissatisfaction among the public. Different ethno-cultural identities are considered
the beauty of a pluralist state, contributing constructively to the progress of the country. If these basic
rights are at risk, marginalized communities can be derailed from their constructive role, leading to
instability or disintegration. The onus is on the political leadership to pacify the alienated ethnic groups
by seeking national identity out of various provincial identities, thus giving the sense of ownership
unified by national loyalty.

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Good governance is crucial for strengthening national integration by providing equal development,
rights, and services for all communities, regions, and federating units. It incites a strong sense of
national identity and pride in society and supports effective policies centered on sharing, entrustment,
and allocation of national resources to the provinces. Conversely, bad governance is the root cause of
inefficiencies, including social injustice, economic inequality, regional disparity, unemployment,
unaccountability, delayed justice, misuse of power, corruption, nepotism, unequal distribution of natural
resources, inefficiency of institutions, and dissatisfaction among the general public. Lax governance has
generated economic backwardness in Pakistan, leading to social ills, poverty, crime, frustration, and
demoralization in underprivileged regions, particularly in South Punjab, interior Sindh, Balochistan, and
tribal areas. The weak system of governance has been incapable of maintaining consistent policies in the
best interests of various cultural pluralities of the country.

ECONOMIC DISPARITY:

As Aristotle explains that main cause of revoltion in a state is economic disparity.this economic
inequality can be seen in pakistan policy making, as punjab has been provided with much
developmental funds for the political purposes and the other provinces are kept underdeveloped which
leads to disintegrity.

Pakistan's national integration faces challenges and options, particularly in the tribal areas. The federal
government has pledged to spend around $10 billion on development schemes over a decade, but only
10% of the $540 million was reserved for tribal districts' development during the fiscal year 2019-20.
This performance is causing frustration among the tribal people and justifying the demands of anti-
nationalist elements like PTM in the name of social justice. Balochistan, a province in Pakistan, has also
faced challenges in implementing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. Efforts to
address socio-economic and political grievances have been made, but these measures are unable to
produce desired results and bring clear trickle-down effects on the livelihood of the locals. The multi-
dimensional poverty index (MPI) of Pakistan is 38.8%, with tribal districts having the highest levels.
People have started blaming the federal government for lacking objectivity in policy measures at the
national level, as seen in the case of Gwadar port.

The growing mistrust in Pakistan's federal government has led to the development projects in small
provinces like Balochistan, which have deteriorated due to the initiatives of Gwadar Port, coastal
highway, road, and rail links. Baloch nationalists fear that these projects will change their ethnic culture
and demography, leading to a fear of being dispossessed of their lands and resources. The Baloch
dissidents also mislead local communities, claiming that the federal government only allocates a small
share of the National Finance Commission Award to Balochistan. The province has seen an increase in
its budget in the 7th NFC Award, recognizing factors such as inverse population density, poverty, poor
revenue collection, and the area as variables for distribution of funds. Misperceptions and fears have led
the Baloch ethnicity to resort to force in pressuring their rights and representation in the central
government. The general sentiments of scepticism and unsteady development in the marginalized
community of the country hinder the goal of national integration.

ROLE OF RELIGION ISLAM:

While Islam promotes balance and diversity, the interpretation of Islamic laws has led to sectarian
divisions in Pakistani society. This has been further exacerbated by religious extremism, making it
difficult for scholars to openly discuss or oppose it due to fear of backlash.The rise of extremism,
particularly after the Afghan war in 1979, has seen it become an ideology linked with power and
dominance, rather than individual and social improvements. The concept of political Islam, as
represented by Sayyid Abu’l A’la Mawdudi, has also contributed to this issue, despite criticism from
other scholars. The ambiguity in Pakistan regarding the role of religion, the nature of the Islamic state,
and religious systems and objectives coupled with the inherited concept of modernity from colonialism,
has led to confusion and division within the society.The trend of political Islam in Pakistan has further
confused the concept of modernity, leading to a society unable to define nationalism, the role of state,
and sectarianism. This has resulted in a fear of disintegrating Islam and committing blasphemy against
religion. These challenges need to be addressed for the betterment of Pakistani society.

FEDRALISM AND PROVINCIALISM:

The federal form of government is an effective tool for national integration by separating power between
the federal government and federating units. This form of government guarantees protection of the rights
of federating units and their ethnic strata, enabling diverse ethnicities to freely flourish their cultural
uniqueness and integrate into the mainstream political system. However, the poor performance and
administrative incapability of provincial governments have led to the federal government considering
revisiting the 18th Amendment to overcome these issues.

National, religious, and sub-nationalist political parties in Pakistan, including the Pakistan Muslim
League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), Pashtunkhwa
Milli Awami Party, and Balochistan National Party, argue that any attempt to reverse the 18th
Amendment would be an attack on provincial autonomy. The political setting in Pakistan is still relying
on the legacy of dynastic politics, with two major national political parties: PML-N and PPP (apart from
PTI).

The political structure of Pakistan has evolved in a manner that a small ruling elite has remained
dominated on the main landscape of federal politics. This concentration of power in few hands weakens
the federation, rendering the social structure ineffective. The role of the federal body as facilitator is
essential to enhance the development of national integration in the country.

The federal government should provide guideline to provincial governments for conducting their affairs
in an organized but mutually coherent manner and listen to the political voices of small provinces to
create harmony on constitutional issues. A smooth, cordial, and balanced relations between central and
provincial governments are the pre-requisites to meaningful national integration. Otherwise,
marginalization, alienation, disagreement with the federal government, dissatisfaction, and insecurity
among small provinces will flourish centrifugal forces, causing national security issues like separatist
tendencies, anarchy, internal turmoil, subversion, ethnic issues, and violent struggles for power.

SUB NATIONALIST POLITICS AND NATIONAL INTEGRATION:

Muslim nationalism in the sub-continent played a significant role in the Pakistan movement, but its role
in preserving the state's integrity was gradually undermined due to issues like language, provincial
status, and natural resource division among diverse stakeholders. As a result, sub-nationalist movements
emerged, such as Jeay Sindh Mahaz, All Pakistan Muttahidda Students Organization, and National
Awami Party, which exploited regional politics and controversy. These groups incite regional sentiments
about exploitation, alienation, and deprivation of ethno-lingual identity, potentially threatening national
integrity. Civil and military leadership in Pakistan are working to merge provincialism into a coherent
national identity.

Ethno-Cultural Diversity :

Ethno-cultural diversity is a natural phenomenon in Pakistan, forming the national identity and
promoting nation-building. It is considered a key characteristic of Pakistani society. However, the
country faces challenges due to the unwillingness of interest groups to accept cultural and linguistic
diversity. This results in power struggles among political parties at provincial and federal levels, leading
to unease between the center and provinces.
The social fabric of Pakistan is fragmented around biradari and caste structures, which are essential for
nationhood. Provincial or regional identity is essential to solid nationhood, but using regional identity as
a political card for vested interests poses challenges to national integration. The Baloch insurgents like
the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) have been sponsoring subversive acts and lending patronage to
terrorist elements to sabotage the national integration process.

To integrate Balochistan with the federation, there is a dire need of preserving ethno-cultural-linguistic
identities and removing socio-economic inequalities. Governments have launched various development
programs, including the "Political Reconciliation process," but these initiatives remain unable to curb
fears of sub-nationalist groups that these programs will only offer development opportunities to non-
Baloch ethnicities like Punjabis and Sindhis.

Unacceptance of central government's socio-economic and political initiatives by ethnic insurgents is

bound to damage the cause of national integration. The concept of national integration for Pakistan aims
to create 3Cs: common citizenry, common political and social structures, and a common state for
building a common community without disturbing existing diversities of linguistic, ethnic, religious, and
geographical strata.

EDUCATION SYSTEM:

In Pakistan there are different types of education system according to different classes of society i.e one
for elite class(is called O LEVEL), one for middle class (private schools) and government schools (for
lower class as the government has failed to provide better education). This educational division
increases the distance between classes as the elite class got better education and got high rank jobs e
poor class are deprived from this opportunity Thus, it leads to anti elite and anti poor sentiments in a
society and thus each class hates other class, which leads to disintegration

REMEDIES OR RECOMMENDATION:

National Social Action Plan for Ethno-Cultural Integration

• A well-thought-out National Social Action Plan (NSAP) is required considering the socio-economic,
and political imperatives of all the provinces, thereby satisfying the essential needs of the ethno-cultural,
and socio-political divergent identities. It will minimize the regional-provincial disequilibrium, granting
more sense of ownership to the federating units supportive of the process of national integration.

Grass-Roots Initiatives for Baluchistan's Integration

• The on going political-economic initiatives for Balochistan taken by the federal government are
appreciable, yet more efforts at the grass-roots level are needed to integrate the Baloch communities
with the other provinces. In this regard, the provision of 4G internet service, and the development of the
transmission lines and rail-road networks in all the provinces will help bring the on going initiatives to a
logical end. In addition, there is a need to allocate seats to the people of Balochistan in all federal
departments on the criteria of poverty, backwardness, and area so that they could consider themselves
integral part of the country. It will equally help ensuring participation of the dissatisfied people, thus
neutralizing their strong sub-nationalist feelings in the favour of national cohesion.

Administrative Improvement for FATA Merger

There is a need to improve the administrative structure of KP government for implementing the former
FATA merger plan in true letter and spirit, addressing the unsteady development in the region, which is
crucial to the concept of national integration.

Equitable Distribution of Development Projects

• Equitable distribution of development projects is required while accommodating the local private
sector for creating new entrepreneurial units, cementing the unified economy. The central government
needs to give priority to those projects, which generate economic mergers,interdependency, and national
integration.

National Policy for Departmental Performance Improvement

To improve efficiency and capacity-building of all provincial and federal departments, the central
government should launch a national policy giving guidelines for optimal departmental performance
based on administrative accountability, decentralization of power, and removal of the traditional
bureaucratic attitudes.

Promotion of Inter-Provincial Internship Programmes

Inter-provincial internship programmes with attractive packages for the qualified skilled professionals
like doctors, engineers, and economic managers should be encouraged. Trade, labour, lawyer, and
doctor unions should be reinvigorated at the national level.

OTHER

Empowered Local Body system is indispensable for Pakistan to keep people satisfied, narrowing down
the spread of mistrust, and reducing the separatist tendencies. Decentralization of power from provinces
to local bodies is a concrete measure touninterrupted growth of the political process, ensuring
integration of the deprived folks into the mainstream political process.
• Perseverance, patience, and continuous political dialogue are the key to building long-term consensus
on the 18th Amendment. In this context, proposing well-considered amendments and working for
building consensus ought to be the top priority of the federal government.

• National political parties need to shed off their major reliance on provincial politics. They should
transform their role, behavioural pattern, political priorities, and party interests from regional politics to
more national politics.

• For ethnic and social harmony, the federal government should start the series of seminars on regular
basis to be held in each provincial capital to inculcate the significance of unity in diversity.

• The scope of Council of Islamic Ideology should not be only confined to its role as an advisory body
for the legislature that whether or not laws are against the spirit of Qur'an and Sunnah. It should also
oversee any religious interpretation(s) given by madrassa-trained clergy to avoid divergent Islamic
interpretation, and verdict, causing extremist leanings in Pakistan. It is observed with concern that the
Friday sermons of various mosques tend to generate deviations, and sectarian divides, thus flourishing
extremism. To curb this detrimental inclination, there is a dire need to develop a state-level single
national Friday sermon mandatory to be recited at the Fridaycongregational prayers, thus solidifying the
roots to national integration.

• Media plays an important role for cultural consolidation and national integration. A strong national
narrative should be broadcasted to counter the extremist and sectarian along with provincialism
narratives in the society.

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