Pakistan@70: Nation, State & Society — Achievements & Opportunities

Pakistan is a success story: Dr Gilani

Eminent political scientist Dr Ijaz Shafi Gilani, who has been conducting survey-based socio-political research in Pakistan regularly for the last four decades, has claimed that whatever perceptions the Pakistani elites have about the country, majority of the masses believe that Pakistan is a success story and they are happy to be part of it.
He was delivering a lecture at Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on August 17, 2017, on the topic of “Pakistan@70: Nation, State & Society — Achievements & Opportunities”, which was attended by a large number of senior and young researchers from various universities and members of Islamabad-based intelligentsia. The session was also addressed by Khalid Rahman, executive president of the Institute.
At the age of seventy, Gilani said, Pakistan has evolved from being a mere state of the Muslims of the subcontinent to a ‘Pakistani nation’.
Describing the characteristics of the people of Pakistan as a nation, based on his research-based experiences of the past several years, he stated: “We refused to be cowed down by regional and global bullies. On the whole, we are still steadfast on that. We are a learning nation, and have learned from our mistakes to correct regional and social inequalities, unhealthy political polarization and worldview excesses. On the whole we are firm on fundamentals and flexible in life, as middle of the ground pragmatic people. At age seventy we are a battle-hardened nation. We are fit to enter a new phase to match the new millennial changes and challenges.”