Pakistan is not on the verge of another 1971 — but it is flirting with the exact political arrogance that made 1971 inevitable.
Back then, a ruling elite refused to accept the people’s verdict. Today, we are watching a similar refusal dressed up in new language: “engineering,” “stability,” “national interest.” The packaging has changed. The mind-set hasn’t.
And that is the real danger.
States rarely collapse because of elections alone. They collapse when those in power decide that the public’s mandate is optional. In 1970, that delusion cost Pakistan its majority province. In 2026, it won’t lead to another breakup — but it could lead to something far more corrosive: a hollow state held together by force, fear, and fatigue.
Four futures now sit in front of Pakistan: a shaky reset, a hardening authoritarian order, a miraculous democratic breakthrough, or a slow-motion unraveling where the country survives but governance dies.
One thing is certain: history isn’t repeating — it’s warning. The question is whether anyone in power is listening.
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