It is a cold sunday afternoon today. Karachi's temperature has plummeted to 7 degrees centigrade in the last couple of days afflicting cold, cough and flu to many including myself. Each season has its own pace and it is so infectious that everything around starts moving along at the same velocity. Winters are slow and quiet in nature and so becomes life in winter-slow, quiet, frozen and dormant. However, winters have not had much of an effect on the political horizon. International stage of politics looks as hot and happening as ever with no dearth of interesting and at times sensational news. Wikileaks saga is far from over while all the countries are huddled together at the cancun, Mexico, trying to reach at a hitherto elusive climate change agreement. India continues to flex its diplomatic muscle owing to increasing economic clout while the western world and some countries in the pacific remain ever so apprehensive of china's inevitable rise. New alliances are being formed and new partnerships forged as the balance of power in the world undergoes some significant changes. A new world order is emerging. China, India and Indonesia in the south and south-east Asia, Turkey in West Asia and Brazil in the Latin america are fast emerging as new centres of global power. Their ascendant global clout is underpinned by remarkable economic growth which in turn is a result of stable political system in these countries. On the contrary, Pakistan has remained in a perpetual state of chaos and political instability thereby ever on the verge of economic collapse. Notwithstanding this, the powers that be in Pakistan continue to look for strength and power at all the wrong places,in the strategic depth in Afghanistan, in our nuclear arsenal, in provoking war-hysteria against India and in our zest of matching bullet to bullet and missile to missile with India. Such skewed priorities have landed us into this mess that is Pakistan today with terrorism wreaking havoc all over and a poor economy making life unaffordable. Yet it seems we are not ready to learn any lessons. People remain a distant priority as ever. Aspiring to be a global player and having a say in the world affairs, Pakistan has to first start with ameliorating the lot of its populace. The real strength can be drawn from the people who are prosperous and happy.Investing in the people and their lives can make this country a land of healthy and happy people. This is when people become a resource and real engines of progress and change. Educated, healthy and prosperous Pakistan will also be a secure Pakistan. Pakistan that gives respect and dignity to its people will also be given respect and esteem in the comity of nations.
