There is crisis of national integration in Pakistan since its creation. What measures do you suggest for the promotion of national integration of Pakistan?

Introduction

Speaking in Dacca on 21 March 1948, Quaid-i-Azam urged: "We are now all Pakistanis, not Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on, and as Pakistanis we must feel, behave and act." National integration means the process by which people of different regions, languages, ethnicities and sects come to share a common national identity and loyalty while keeping their distinct cultures. Pakistan was born with great diversity and two wings separated by India. Its failure to integrate East Pakistan led to separation in 1971, and grievances in Balochistan, Sindh and the former tribal areas remain. Promoting integration is therefore central to Pakistan's survival and progress.

Overview

Pakistan includes Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch, Saraikis, Muhajirs, Kashmiris, Hazaras and Gilgit-Baltistanis, among others, speaking more than 70 languages. The Census 2023 recorded Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Urdu and Balochi among the most widely spoken mother tongues. Islam and the shared experience of the Pakistan Movement provided early unity, but disputes over language, power and resources soon emerged. The challenge has always been to build unity in diversity, rather than uniformity at the cost of diversity.

Causes of the crisis of national integration

1. Linguistic disputes.

The declaration of Urdu as the sole national language provoked the Bengali Language Movement; police firing in Dhaka on 21 February 1952 became a symbol of Bengali grievance. Language riots in Sindh in 1972 showed similar tensions. (Reference: Rounaq Jahan, Pakistan: Failure in National Integration, Columbia University Press, 1972; Tariq Rahman, Language and Politics in Pakistan, Oxford University Press, 1996.)

2. Centralisation and One Unit.

The One Unit scheme (1955-70) merged the western provinces and denied their identities, and centralised constitutions concentrated power in the centre. (Reference: Establishment of West Pakistan Act 1955; Constitution of 1962.)

3. Economic disparities.

Development was concentrated in central Punjab and Karachi, while East Pakistan, Balochistan, interior Sindh and the tribal areas lagged behind, creating a sense of exploitation. (Reference: Government of Pakistan, Report of the Panel of Economists on the Fourth Five-Year Plan, 1970; Planning Commission and UNDP, Multidimensional Poverty in Pakistan, 2016.)

4. Ethnic under-representation.

The civil service, army and senior posts were long dominated by Punjabis and Muhajirs, and smaller groups felt excluded from power. (Reference: Charles H. Kennedy, Bureaucracy in Pakistan, Oxford University Press, 1987.)

5. Interrupted democracy.

Military rule and the dismissal of elected provincial governments, such as in Balochistan in 1973, denied provinces political voice and pushed some towards insurgency. (Reference: Selig Harrison, In Afghanistan's Shadow: Baluch Nationalism and Soviet Temptations, Carnegie Endowment, 1981.)

6. The separation of East Pakistan.

The denial of the Awami League's electoral victory in 1970 and the military action that followed led to the break-up of the country in 1971, the greatest failure of national integration. (Reference: Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report, declassified 2000.)

7. Sectarian divisions.

Sectarian violence since the 1980s, fuelled partly by external rivalries, has divided communities and weakened social cohesion. (Reference: Vali Nasr, "The Rise of Sunni Militancy in Pakistan", Modern Asian Studies, 2000.)

8. A weak sense of shared citizenship.

Unequal access to justice, education and opportunity, and discrimination against religious minorities, prevent all citizens from feeling equal owners of the state. (Reference: Constitution of Pakistan, Articles 25 and 36; Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, annual reports.)

Measures to promote national integration

1. Genuine federalism and fair resource sharing.

Implement the 18th Amendment fully, hold CCI meetings regularly, agree a new NFC Award and honour provincial rights over gas, oil and hydel profits. (Reference: Constitution of Pakistan, Articles 153-154, 160 and 172(3).)

2. Inclusive democracy.

Free and fair elections, uninterrupted democratic processes and respect for provincial mandates give every region a stake in the system. (Reference: Charter of Democracy, 2006; Elections Act 2017.)

3. Balanced development.

Targeted programmes for Balochistan, ex-FATA, interior Sindh, southern Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan would reduce disparities, with projects like CPEC benefiting local people. (Reference: Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan package, 2009; CPEC Authority, Western Route projects.)

4. Representation in state institutions.

Enforce regional quotas in federal services, recruit more from smaller provinces into the armed forces and senior posts, and verify domiciles. (Reference: Establishment Division, regional quota policy; Constitution of Pakistan, Article 27.)

5. Education for national cohesion.

Curricula should teach the shared history of all regions, respect for diversity and citizenship, and inter-provincial student exchanges and scholarships should be expanded. (Reference: Constitution of Pakistan, Article 25A; Higher Education Commission, scholarships for students from less developed areas.)

6. Respect for languages and cultures.

Promote Urdu as the link language while supporting provincial languages under Article 251(3) and celebrating regional cultures through national media and festivals. (Reference: Constitution of Pakistan, Article 251; Pakistan Academy of Letters, programmes for regional languages.)

7. National institutions that bind.

The armed forces, national sports teams, universities and media can bring people together; recruiting from all regions and broadcasting in regional languages strengthens their unifying role. (Reference: Pakistan Television Corporation, regional channels; ISPR, recruitment from Balochistan and ex-FATA.)

8. Justice, rule of law and dialogue.

Addressing enforced disappearances, ensuring equal justice and holding dialogue with alienated groups, including Baloch nationalists, would rebuild trust. (Reference: Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, reports; Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, State of Human Rights reports.)

Conclusion

Allama Iqbal wrote in Bang-e-Dara: "Fard qaim rabt-e-millat se hai, tanha kuch nahin; mauj hai darya mein aur bairun-e-darya kuch nahin" (The individual exists through his bond with the nation, alone he is nothing; the wave exists in the river, outside the river it is nothing). Pakistan's crisis of national integration has stemmed from language disputes, centralisation, economic disparities, under-representation, interrupted democracy and sectarianism. It can be overcome not by suppressing diversity but by embracing it through genuine federalism, inclusive democracy, balanced development, fair representation, education and justice. When every citizen feels that Pakistan belongs equally to them, national integration will follow naturally.