President Zardari has published the following column in today’s issue of the UK newspaper Guardian.
When I was elected president more than a year ago, Pakistan was in a grave condition, strained by terrorism and a ravaged economy. Countering the effects of a decade of dictatorship requires bold actions, some of which are unpopular. I am working with parliament to run a country, not a political campaign. The goal of our democratic government is to implement policies that will dramatically improve the lives of Pakistanis. In time, good policies will become good politics.
Our economic crisis demanded an unprecedented response. On taxes, education, agriculture and energy, we have shown that we must adapt, reform and become self-sufficient. Terrorists do not want Pakistan to succeed. They want to distract us from preparing for a stable and prosperous future. But militants underestimate us. Just as our people refuse to be terrorised, our government refuses to be derailed from its course of fiscal responsibility, social accountability and financial transparency.
The war against terrorism has cost Pakistan not just in lives but also in economic terms, freezing international investment and diverting priorities from social and other sectors. Despite constant challenges on multiple fronts, we took the political hits and stuck with reform. Pakistan even met IMF criteria last month to receive the “fourth tranche”, or £0.79bn, of its loan funding – no easy feat during a global recession. Corrupt governments don’t reach this level of IMF partnership. The World Bank, the European Union and the US have all applauded our accomplishments. This praise may be little reported, but it’s far more important than the chimera of polls.
Pakistan’s economic resurrection has been the product, primarily, of our own sweat and blood. Pakistanis know expediency has at times caused the world’s democracies to support dictatorships, as happened after 9/11. The west has a moral responsibility to ensure that our democratic transition continues.
If the community of developed democratic nations had, after our last democratic election, crafted an innovative development plan with the scope and vision of the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe after second world war, much greater economic, political and military stability would already have been achieved. Those who found comfort with dictators have resisted change. Pakistan tried it their way – and endured catastrophe. We intend to build a new Pakistan using long-term solutions based on sound fiscal management.
Now some western reports suggest the Pakistani military does not support the policies of our democratic government. This is not true. Not only is our military courageously battling extremists in Swat and Waziristan, and succeeding, but our troops also are supporting the country’s democratic transition and adherence to our constitution. Some in Pakistan question our international alliances because they disapprove of our allies’ actions, such as last month’s unilateral US drone attack against militants in Waziristan. We should all understand that concern. But we are fighting for our lives, and Pakistan’s policies cannot be based solely on what is popular.
History has shown the difference between expedient policies and the long-term goals of true statesmen. When the history of our time is written, Pakistan’s decisions will be seen as a turning point in containing international terrorism. We are building a functioning society and economy. In the end, these sometimes unpopular steps will create a Pakistan that sucks the oxygen from the fire of terrorism. Those who are counting on Pakistan to back off the fight – militarily and economically – underestimate my country and me.
