A worthy lesson

Published September 16, 2021

ANY critical analysis of the fall of Muslim dynasties ruling the subcontinent reveals an important lesson. The prominent reason behind every fall was political instability. From the Mamluks to the Khaljis and from the Tughlaqs to the Lodhis and then from one Mughal emperor to the next, infighting and political weakness decided many a fate.

It is a lesson that nation-states within the Islamic world seem to have ignored in contemporary times. Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and many others have been on that slippery slope for some time.

In our own backyard, factions in Afghanistan have struggled, and are struggling, to somehow opt for political cohesion.

For Pakistanis, the lesson is worth considering, too. We lost a huge part of our territory because the hostile enemy was able to make the most of our own internal political conflicts.

It is in everyone’s own favour to actually empower the political system, or else history loves to repeat itself.

Saman Aftab
Lahore

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...