Now is the time to avert the crisis facing the world

There was a fight between three people over a 10 kg wheat flour sack. The owner of the sack was trying to hold him while the other two tried to free him. He was pushed to the ground, but managed to hold on to the sack. The man called for help, but no one came to his aid. Only then two children came from somewhere to help the attackers. Such terrible things were not made for their little hands. This makes us think of the Sanskrit proverb bubhukshitah kim na karoti papam (what sin will not a hungry person commit?).

Pakistan has been completely emptied by the army masters and their puppet rulers. There is no milk for newborns, there is no electricity in the bitter cold, medicines are running out in hospitals and the government is oblivious. Shahbaz Sharif is begging in the West and Arab countries after the overthrow of Imran Khan. The problems of his country cannot be solved without immediate help.

Now 35.7% of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line; The country ranks 99th out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index. Despite having exceptionally fertile land and 19% of its GDP in agriculture, it is in dire need of food grains. Pakistan is now facing the threat of starvation and civil war.

Some critics have said that while only one part of Pakistan was separated in 1971, there may now be four more. They are not wrong. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has established a parallel government in the border region. In response, Islamabad has stepped up military operations in “disturbed” districts under its “right to defend existence”. America has already approved it. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see Pakistan Air Force bombing this area in the coming days.

But will things get better from this? Now who would believe that till 1980 Pakistan’s economy was stronger than India’s? Delegations from Arab and African countries used to visit the country in the 1970s to learn about governance. But things began to change under General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. He made the costly decision of waging a secret war against India. Pakistan developed the atomic bomb when he was in power, and now has a larger nuclear arsenal than India. If Pakistan experiences civil war or has to deal with new divisions, not only India but the whole world will be in serious trouble. What if the entire nuclear arsenal, or even a part of it, falls into the hands of terrorists is a question that is currently being asked.

It is safe to conclude that Pakistan has been using this fear to seek aid from rich countries for a long time. But this time the threat is grave and the hands of the global community are tied. With Covid and the Russia-Ukraine war, the global economy is weakening.

Its consequences are widespread. Brazil’s parliament was taken over by Jair Bolsonaro’s followers last week. Now supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have taken to the streets. His anger is justified. The unruly protesters caused serious damage to both public property and the dignity of the democratic system. Even the Brazilian heritage suffered.

Such incidents have become frequent now. First, Donald Trump’s followers stormed Capitol Hill after he lost the US presidential election. In Pakistan, Imran Khan was voted out of office through legal process. Bolsonaro is trying to light a fire in Brazil from his current base in the US. How can those who gained control through democratic means act like autocrats after being defeated?

The events in Brazil bring to my mind an evening in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in June 2009. Representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs were trying to convince reporters, including me, over dinner that the BRICS—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—were most likely to hold the future. But what actually happened? Brazil has already been discussed; Russia’s situation is worsening by the day, and China is now facing an unheard-of economic disaster as a result of its zero-covid policy. Also, the armies of China and India are face to face on the borders. No one can predict what will happen tomorrow.

The only consolation in these dismal times is that India is the most stable of these countries. We have Pakistan on one side and Sri Lanka on the other. The condition of both is bad.

Post-Colombo, Brazil’s capture of the power center and the decline of democratic nations suggest that the time has come to address the crisis looming among many democracies. This trend is harmful for global peace.

Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief of Hindustan. Thoughts are personal.