Leadership Vacuum In Pakistan – OpEd

Pakistan has been facing crisis over crisis in socioeconomic, political, and institutional fields. The pertinent reasons for these crises have been dearth of leadership from state to party and organizational and institutional levels. Every head of the private and public sector organizations including leadership on national level cannot be spared from their respective responsibilities. This dilemma has led the country into numerous issues of institutional imbalance, fragility of democracy, disintegration, reservations, bad governance, and more.

Leadership is not an individual phenomenon. An institutional head whether he/she belongs to private or public sector who leads institution or organization is also a leader and responsible. A leader who lacks vision and wastes talent and meritocracy leads his respective organization to disaster.

A true leader is surrounded by competent brains, honest people, critics, and farsighted colleagues. This scarcity is common in political parties, corporate sector, institutions, and even tribal sphere in Pakistan. The outcomes of which we have been witnessing in the form of political instability, economic downturn, fragiled institutions, disunity, and more.

There has been no such concept where democracy supports hierarchical tendencies in political parties. This has hampered the participation of middle class leadership on national level. Succession in almost all political parties is common except some. No democratic norms and values allow such. Nearly all political leader of all hues and shades have political heirs in Pakistan.

History testifies that leaders donot incite their followers rather make ways for peace and stability. When a situation of uncertainty, reservations, and violence emerges, the litmus test of leadership starts. A true leader committed with the nation and institutional development always tries to solve the emerging problems rather igniting people for petty interests.

Mostly, our political leadership failed to pull the country out of the quagmire. Untill 1973, the leadership had failed to finalise a concensus based constitution. In addition, the debacle of Dhaka where many reasosn were responsible for it, the failure of military, political, and judicial leadership to solve the issues and graviences cannot be set aside.

In addition, the judiciary has been short of playing a leading role. The doctrine of necessity has shacken the confidence of the people over it. Lo and behold. The establishment has been accepting its role in politics. This intervention doesnot justify leadership sanity.

Lack of competent organizational and institutional leadership is rampant in the country. Nepotism, corruption, killing meritocracy, favoritism, and bad governance are at their peak. The incompetency of institutional leadership has brought the country on the verge of devestation.

Pakistan is in the clinches of a serious leadership crisis which has caused political instability, disintegration, economic fragility, and institutional decline.

Consequently, the country has been facing crisis over crisis. The more the leadership on state, political, and institutional levels feel the sensitivity of the situation the more it would be better.