1) They're called rose-tinted glasses for a reason. Many like to believe their favourite country/college/restaurant etc. was much better in the past. Often, the truth is that things were as bad as they are now, maybe even worse.
2) One of my favourite examples of this is Pakistan. People tend to say things went downhill after Zia. But the truth is that things were awful from the start; governments were being dismissed in the late 1940s, minorities were being attacked in the early 1950s...
3) Liberties were suppressed, poverty was rampant, the elite was corrupt and parasitical, and an unequal and unjust distribution of power between the provinces birthed Bangladesh and gave rise to serious ethnic conflict in the rest of Pakistan. The injustice we see today is...
4) A continuation of older tendencies and processes that have arguably been reinforced over time by the entrenchment of actors - civilian and military - motivated by parochial self-interest. Indeed, even a brief visit to any newspaper archive in Pakistan will show that...
5) The idea of Pakistan passing through a 'delicate' or 'critical' juncture is one that has been deployed from the very beginning. Even the language used is the same as what we see today! The glowing tributes paid to dictators like Ayub Khan...
6) Tales of Hollywood celebrities visiting Pakistan, of night clubs and a more 'liberal' environment, all mask a long history of inequality and brutality. As Pakistan confronts yet another 'regional environment' fraught with danger and risks, it is worth asking why the country...
7) Appears to be so bereft of options and friends. Deep introspection is required to understand how the policies and ideas of the past, resurrected time and again by the same actors who instituted them before, have played a role in bringing Pakistan to this point.
8) Contrary to the narrative often peddled by the state, Pakistan is not the victim of some vast international conspiracy nor is it a lone voice crusading for justice in an indifferent world. It is a poor, badly governed country whose unwise strategic decisions have left it...
9) dealing with serious domestic problems - inequality, violence, and extremism - and a shoddy international reputation. External actors may harbour ill intentions towards Pakistan, but much of the mess is of the country's own making. Recognizing this is the first step towards...
10) Fixing things. Whether it is the question of fighting for the rights of Kashmiris or being able to rely on supposed friends and allies for support, Pakistan must set its own house in order first. That will not be accomplished by acquiescing to a status quo that simply...
11) Reproduces the mistakes of the past. As someone who studies Pakistan, it is sometimes dispiriting to see how little things have changed over time and how predictable the country's politics is. For Pakistan to prosper, it's future needs to start looking less like its past.
12) Needless to say, #tabdeeli isn't the change this country needs.
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