Pakistan's 'Islamic' identity is failing to hold the country together, says MJ Akbar

Pakistan's founding idea was built around the belief that Islam could serve as the basis of nationalism. But that idea has failed to deliver national unity and is now contributing to the country's internal fractures, veteran journalist and former Indian Central Minister, MJ Akbar said.

Speaking to Pankaj Saran on NatStrat Conversations podcas, Akbar said Pakistan's central problem was not its people but the ideological premise on which the country was created.

"The problem of Pakistan is the idea of Pakistan," Akbar said, arguing that the country was created around a distinction from the rest of India and that religion became central to that project.

Islam cannot serve as the central tenet of a nation's identity

The veteran journalist who has written 12 books, including 'Tinderbox, the past and future of Pakistan, ' questioned whether Islam could realistically serve as the foundation of a modern nation-state.

"If Islam had been sufficient as a basis for nationalism, why would there be 22 Arab countries?" he asked. He also pointed to Pakistan's relationship with neighbouring Afghanistan, saying that despite their shared Islamic identity, the two countries developed separate national identities.

"Islam cannot be the basis of Pakistan unity within," Akbar said.

'Pakistan has a fading geography'

Akbar linked the ideological question to what he described as Pakistan's growing internal fragmentation. He pointed to Balochistan, where he said poverty and political alienation had fuelled growing resentment against Islamabad. "Pakistan has a fractured and a fading geography. Parts of Pakistan are wandering away from the state because they cannot physically dislocate themselves from the state."

Citing figures from Pakistani sources, he said poverty in Balochistan stood at 43 per cent, with similarly high levels in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "What you have created is slavery pockets within the country," he said, arguing that the country's resources were concentrated in the hands of a powerful military and political elite. "It's a begging bowl country," he noted.

He described Pakistan as having a "fractured and a fading geography", saying parts of the country were increasingly alienated from the central state.

From nationalism to military rule

Akbar also questioned Pakistan's repeated reliance on military strongmen, arguing that military control had become a substitute for functioning democratic institutions.

Referring to the country's military rulers, he said, "All military dictators are ‘strongmen’." He argued that the current system had created a structure in which the military exercised overwhelming influence over the state. "In Pakistan, now we are watching the strongman of a failed circus. Right. Which I don't say this with any gladness, because I wish the best for the Pakistani people," said Akbar.

He also warned that Pakistan's nuclear capability had allowed the state to project an image of strategic importance despite its economic and political weaknesses.

"It's a failed state. It is a falling state," Akbar said, while adding that its nuclear power and military structure allowed it to continue selling a narrative of security.

Pakistan's geopolitical comeback questioned

Akbar rejected the idea that Pakistan's recent diplomatic activity necessarily represented a genuine turnaround in its fortunes. He argued that a country's strength should be measured by its economy, the prosperity of its people and the ability of its government to control and administer its territory.

"The state of a country is defined by its economy, by the prosperity of its people, whether the state is functioning or not," he said, adding that while Pakistan may be attracting renewed international attention, that does not necessarily mean its underlying problems have been resolved.

"Pakistan is actually nothing more than a sophisticated Sudan," Akbar said, arguing that while governments exist, their effective control over the country remains limited.