Does Pakistan Need India? The David and Goliath Complex

I’ve been asked to share my opinion on this topic before, but apparently, it took a war to finally push me to put pen to paper. Sometimes, even my procrastination needs a little artillery fire to get moving.

It’s in times of crisis that I’m reminded just how peculiar my homeland truly is. Pakistan is a funny place, and Pakistanis are an even funnier bunch. We only seem to get our act together when there’s no hope left; when it’s David versus Goliath. For those unfamiliar, that’s the story of a young shepherd boy who defeats a giant in battle. And just to be clear, in this analogy, Pakistan is the shepherd, not the giant.

For example, I can’t get 20 Mbps internet in my home in Islamabad, but somehow, we’re capable of complex cyberattacks on a superpower with a seven-trillion-dollar economy. A superpower, just FYI, that happens to be one of the IT hubs of the world.

Where the entire world shuts down social media in times of war, Pakistan opens it up! Only in Pakistan is ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) “For Emergencies Only.”

When the rest of the world would flee for their lives at the sight of a missile crashing onto an airbase, Pakistanis flock there in minutes to make videos, not only to warn our enemies but to taunt them.

Only in a place as crazy as Pakistan does a man on a 125cc motorbike try to nick an Israeli military-grade drone because he thinks it would be funny. Like I said, Pakistanis are a funny people.

In a crisis, our secret weapon, often used against one another, comes out in full force. The Pakistani internet troll is perhaps our second deterrent. How can you beat a man who will force you to see the lighter side of life? It’s impossible to instill fear in a society that somehow finds humor in chaos. It’s the old adage of laughing in the face of danger, just on steroids.

When the world assumes we couldn’t be more divided, we somehow unite. The Baloch, Pathan, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Gilgiti all become one.

The political Game of Thrones takes a back seat, and everyone comes together in a sort of unison that makes their rivalry seem like one big prank to begin with. Perhaps we can’t be our true selves without an enemy at the gates.

Pakistan’s military seems to share our values, a military accused of being out of touch with the modern world, often seen as overreaching, and seemingly losing the battle of narrative on every front. Yet, as soon as the danger is imminent and the threat is real, they always seem to rise. Their capabilities on the battlefield have perhaps never been in question. But to show restraint, to show composure, to win the battle for narrative, I sometimes wonder if they also need Goliath to truly shine.

Then there’s the so-called fickle media, those who exist only to fuel the fire of hate, those who we’ve been told cannot compete with the powerhouse across the border. Free speech is dead in Pakistan. Or so we were told? Perhaps journalism isn’t dead. Perhaps the media needs Goliath to shine as well.

I’ve come to realize that perhaps there’s a reason the term ‘Two Nation Theory’ was coined, a perspective I hadn’t considered before. Two nations that can’t survive together but perhaps can’t survive without one another. War is a zero-sum game, not something any sane mind would ever propagate. We all mourn the losses on both sides of the border.

But perhaps there’s a different way to fuel the rivalry, a non-invasive and non-aggressive way to get each other going.

I love a Pakistan-India rivalry. I just think it’s meant to be on the cricket field instead of the battlefield.

Cricket is a sport defined by India and Pakistan, two polar opposites. India is the well-prepared and hardworking team. Pakistan is the maverick: consistently inconsistent, the team that can beat anyone and lose to anyone, sometimes simultaneously. Both are almost microcosms of the larger picture.

Perhaps that’s what we need, then. Maybe that’s the beautiful evolution of the Two Nation Theory: Pakistan competing with Goliath in the economy, an area where we can grow so much. Or in education. Or in almost every area where Goliath truly thrives. Credit where it’s due: there’s a reason he’s Goliath in the first place.

Perhaps we can’t learn to love thy neighbor, but we can find ways to coexist. We can find ways to thrive. Perhaps it’s our destiny to compete. So let’s compete in things that help both of us. Let’s compete in ways that mutually benefit both David and Goliath.

This is all probably foolish. Most likely, this chapter will close, and if Goliath ceases to be at the gate, we’ll fight and bicker amongst ourselves like we almost always do, lose this unity and momentum, and spiral back into our natural ethos.

Like I said, Pakistan is a funny place. Perhaps it’ll never thrive, but I’m almost entirely certain it’ll always survive. The actions of the last few days have made that more evident than ever before.