Pakistan Versus Democracy

Mohammed Ajeeb

Yesterday when I was browsing through my archive I came across a quite lengthy article which was written by me about 10 years ago and published in the International Daily News London in two instalments. It referenced some of the salient challenges facing Pakistan in its road to democracy, stability and progress, but more essentially, it was an appraisal of state of democracy, the main political actors and their role.

Having re-read this I was not surprised but saddened that after a decade nothing has changed for better, in fact, the present political situation is rather much worse than 10 years ago. However, this is what I wrote then and the rest I leave it for you to judge. One of the country’s biggest drawbacks is that it has been ruthlessly and mercilessly ruled by the connivance of particular elite.

This elite consists of feudals, wealthy families, senior bureaucrats and army generals who have inflated their bank balances and increased their businesses and property portfolios to monstrous dimensions within Pakistan and abroad.

The greed of these men and women knows no bounds. Ironically, they have together up to now managed to escape all forms of accountability and scrutiny.  It is crude and ugly fact that the whole nation is engulfed in corruption from top to bottom and yet the Parliament has remained unwilling and indecisive to introduce any punitive measures against such evil.

The politicians contest elections just to win by hook or crook through every conceivable trick. They firstly use pressures on poor masses and if this tactic is ineffective they don’t hesitate to bribe the voters. Hence huge sums of money are unchecked during elections simply for empowering those who are already very powerful. Political parties although have manifestos written on a piece of paper which they either throw away a few days after the elections or they never implement them. In nearly seven decades of its existence Pakistan is very much a class ridden country and thus has become a class of either famously rich or extremely poor.

Only a negligible number has succeeded to enhance its status to join Middle class. When in power these politicians are more concerned and interested in recouping the money they spend on becoming successful rather than spending on their constituents. The whole elections system seems to have become bankrupt. Political mismanagement, incompetent governance, corruption, lawlessness, favouritism, nepotism extortion and existence of multiple mafias are order of daily life.”

10 years later, the political, economical and social situation in Pakistan is lot worse and more explosive. Two elected governments have been in power in the last ten years. Their achievements in uplifting the country economically and socially are zero. They have been busy in fighting with each other rather than resolving some of the chronic problems facing the country.

Corruption has increased in all institutions and providers of public services. Political and economic mismanagement in the running of government has become normal practice and embedded. The judiciary has become weaker and thus more ‘partial and disrespectful’.

Among politicians the level of tolerance in the expression of different opinions is at its lowest ebb. Their behaviour has become more aggressive and uncompromising. Their daily rhetoric is more focused on frivolity and malevolence. They are mainly preoccupied with telling cock and bull stories to their supporters and opponents that are full of lies and innuendoes and void of any relevant substance. They seem to have faild to get grip of themselves. The role of establishment has not changed.

The power of the elite class still remains intact. The abyss between the rich and the poor has widened. On the whole the country has backslided in most spheres of life. Pakistan is once again being plunged into dangerous zone of uncertainty.

It is a defining moment for the country either to continue with feeble and debilitated democracy or replace it with dictatorship. Either option can be full of risks. 75 years of experiments and adaption of different government systems and ideologies including democracy have failed. And none of these have been able or allowed to develop and flourish to its full potential.

This gross failure warrants the fundamental question. Why?

Is this because of the continued interventions by the establishment in civilian affairs or the inaptness of the civilian leadership?

Or is it that the values of democracy are not compatible with the cultural and religious values of Pakistan?

The answers to the above questions hold key to the future peace, stability and prosperity of Pakistan.

The author is former Lord Mayor of Bradford UK.

The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.