Zalmay Azad
If there’s one national obsession that has crippled Pakistan’s progress for decades, it is our collective, all-consuming addiction to politics — and not politics in the sense of visionary policymaking or nation-building, but the petty, poisonous, personality-driven power games that dominate our daily lives. From university cafeterias to village tea stalls, from roadside barber shops to elite drawing rooms, and from television screens to social media feeds — the entire nation remains trapped in an endless, unproductive cycle of political gossip, conspiracy theories, and partisan bickering.
The problem isn’t just the obsession with politics — it’s the kind of politics our people consume. Pakistan’s political discourse is shallow, toxic, and hopelessly personality-centered.
This is not harmless pastime. It is a corrosive national disease. And unless we decisively depoliticize not just our youth, but our entire population, Pakistan will continue its downward spiral into dysfunction and irrelevance.
A Nation Obsessed with Petty Power Games
Look around, and you’ll see it everywhere. Conversations that should revolve around economic reforms, technology, education, healthcare, or water security are instead hijacked by petty political arguments. “Who’s behind this crisis? Which party is better? What did that minister say last night?” — as if these endless, recycled debates hold the keys to Pakistan’s survival.
The fact is: they don’t. This obsession is an intellectual dead end.
While nations around us focus on future economies, innovation, and social development, Pakistan’s public discourse remains stuck in a hopeless loop of political theatrics. People of all ages — not just the youth — have been conditioned to believe that discussing politics passionately is a sign of awareness and patriotism. In reality, it is a tragic waste of national energy.
The Media Mafia: Anchors Turned Self-Proclaimed Elites
A particularly dangerous byproduct of this toxic media culture is the rise of talk show anchors who have, over the years, transformed themselves from mere presenters into self-declared national elites. Many of them now behave as if they are intellectual giants, military strategists, constitutional experts, and economic reformers — all rolled into one.
These anchors don’t just host programs anymore; they dictate national narratives. They speak in tones of absolute authority, pass verdicts on everything from judicial rulings to military operations, and shamelessly present themselves as the final word on every subject under the sun. In their inflated sense of self-importance, they act as if the country’s military and political leadership should consult them first before making any strategic, economic, or national security decisions.
This is not media. This is a dangerous parallel power structure, one entirely unaccountable to the public, operating without oversight or consequence.
Night after night, these talk show hosts assemble panels of the same recycled faces — failed politicians, retired civil servants, opportunist businessmen, and party loyalists — not to discuss solutions, but to stage carefully engineered shouting matches. The goal is not to inform the public but to manipulate perceptions, provoke outrage, and maintain their own relevance in a system that thrives on chaos and division.
The consequences are devastating. Policy debates are replaced with personal attacks. National security issues become fodder for cheap sensationalism. And the masses are fed a steady diet of half-baked analysis, rumors, and conspiracies.
This reckless conduct has polluted not just public discourse but decision-making environments as well. It has emboldened these anchors to the point where some behave as though they possess veto power over policy. And disturbingly, both political and military leaderships — out of misplaced caution or opportunism — have often given them more attention than they deserve.
This dangerous culture must end. It is neither sustainable nor compatible with a serious, modern nation-state.
The Price of a Politically Addicted Nation
This addiction isn’t just damaging social harmony — it’s crippling our economic and strategic future. While nations like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bangladesh quietly work to grow their exports, attract investment, and build digital economies, Pakistan remains preoccupied with political drama.
A nation’s progress depends on innovation, education, entrepreneurship, and economic reform — not on endless debates about who should be Prime Minister or who orchestrated the latest controversy. The time, energy, and mental capacity of our citizens — young and old — are being squandered on useless political arguments, leaving little room for creative problem-solving or nation-building.
Depoliticizing the Nation: An Urgent Imperative
It’s no longer enough to call for the depoliticization of youth alone. The entire nation needs to unplug itself from this toxic addiction to politics. Civic awareness is important, but there’s a difference between responsible citizenship and becoming pawns in the endless power games of a dysfunctional political class.
Pakistan’s progress demands that our people — students, businessmen, professionals, laborers, and even retired citizens — focus on productivity, innovation, and national development. Their energies should be spent building businesses, coding software, writing research papers, developing clean energy solutions, and fixing chronic governance problems — not mindlessly debating which corrupt party deserves another chance at plundering the country.
Decisive Measures the State Must Take
If we are serious about rescuing this nation, then concrete, unapologetic steps must be taken:
Media Reform: Either ban political talk shows outright or enforce strict content regulation. Limit airtime for purely political programs and instead promote educational, economic, and technological content.
Educational Overhaul: Schools and universities must prioritize critical thinking, science, economics, technology, and civic responsibility over political indoctrination and party narratives.
National Campaigns: Launch aggressive public awareness campaigns exposing the dangers of obsessive political consumption and promoting a culture of productivity, creativity, and innovation.
Civic Focus Platforms: Build state-backed digital and media platforms that offer people constructive ways to engage with national issues through problem-solving, volunteerism, and business development — not partisan bickering.
Strict Social Media Regulation: Monitor and regulate political propaganda and hate-driven discourse on digital platforms to reduce polarization and division.
Choose Progress or Perish
Pakistan faces existential threats — economic collapse, water shortages, crippling debt, and regional isolation. Yet, instead of addressing these challenges, our nation remains entranced by political soap operas. If we continue down this path, we will remain a nation of spectators watching our own decline on prime-time television.
The choice is stark: either depoliticize, refocus, and build a future-oriented, innovation-driven society — or remain a broken state, trapped in endless, petty political wars while the world moves on without us.
It’s time to choose. Not tomorrow. Not after the next election. Now.
