PAKISTAN celebrated its 79th Independence Day a couple of days ago. Once again, the anniversary arrived wrapped in the optimism that perhaps the next year will be different and bring some relief to ordinary citizens. The source of this optimism is the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement. Walls have been covered with graffiti, while stre­ets have been decorated with buntings, flags and pictures of the leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Pakistan’s streets witnessed similar enthusiasm just over a decade ago, when the country’s power elites sold the nation the dream of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Though the Makkah Agreement is different from CPEC in essence, as the latter project was conceived as a plan for economic connectivity, the recent trilateral accord is a geopolitical initiative involving the region’s middle powers, and ordinary people have attached their hopes to it. Just as they expected CPEC to bring relief to their lives, create employment and generate economic activity, the perception now being nurtured is that the accord will bring foreign investment into the country, Saudi money, oil on deferred payments and employment for more Pakistanis in the Gulf.

Waiting for a miracle to happen is an old practice of Pakistan’s power elite. Every few years, the ruling establishment constructs a new narrative of hope: that a breakthrough is just around the corner, prosperity is waiting beyond the horizon, and Pakistan need only remain patient for the miracle to unfold. This habit of looking abroad for transformation dates back to the country’s inception, when its leadership placed its hopes in the US, joined Seato and Cento, and became a Western defence and security........

© Dawn