Future of democracy in pakistan
Ouitline:
I INTRODUCTION
II HISTORY OF DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN
A) FEUDALISM
B) MILITARY RULE
C) OVERDEVELOPED STATE STRUCTURE
D) EDUCATION
E) TERRORISM
F) FISCAL IMBALANCE
G) MEDIA
III CURRENT SCENARIO AND FUTURE SUGGESTIONS
A) POLITICAL PARTIES
B) JUDICARY
C) EDUCATION
D) 2013 ELECTIONS
IV) CONCLUSION

Democracy is a combination of two greek words”demos” meaning people and “kratos “ rule. Plainly speaking,it is the authority of people in political system or as Thomas hobbison said “sovereignity” real power is the hands of the mass. Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as “government of the people, by the people and for the people”.
Probably, democracy existed in its most ideal form only in ancient city of Athens, Greece.with a meager population of just 1000 live souls, the city may today be defined as a city state. this facilitated officiating democracy in its perfect forms. transparent elections were held for the government offices and, it was ensured that every individual had an equal right of nomination and election.
Democracy is characterized by freedom, liberty and justice for all. it implies that every one is equal before the law. It has been described as the “last political system “. It has been rightly quoted “in this possibly terminal phase of human existence, freedom and democracy are not mere principles, but necessary for the survival of humanity”
In the world today, the prestige of any country is determined by the level of democracy it exercises. at present, 129 countries of the world are democratic. Pakistan, the fifth largest democracy and the second largest Islamic democracy had to strive to sustain democracy. in the 65 years of its existence, the country has experienced “true democracy” for only 19 years. therefore, it is imperative for Pakistan to improve democracy in order to uplift its respect in the international forum.
India and Pakistan belong to the same region and share a long history even before the advent of islam. they faced trials and tribulations , strove war of independence together and even drove out alien rulers from the country. in the aftermath of the british rulers,two soverieign countries, pakistan and india came into existence. although it was assumed that the both countries would pursue same political system, however, the two moved in diametrically opposite directions. while india has remained consistently democratic, Pakistan for the most part has thrived under military rule.
india remained under the pioneering leadership for 16 years which ensured the continuance of democratic values.pakistan, unfortunately lost “father of the nation” the very next year. his succesors ,which he in his lifetime, regarded as bad coins proved to be so. they failed to come up to the expectation of the public and fill in the shoes of quaid-e azam. this caused the nation to be taken up by self centred knavish politicians who practiced fiendish politics. the weakness of the politicians led military-dictators and feudal nexus to come out of the wood work and grab power.
Feudalism, a spineless system, works on the personal options of individuals and resulted in hatred from the mass who, unfortuanately, became victims of the tyrant feudal lords. the feudals failed to deliver in the hour of need and provided cogent excuses to the military rulers to assume power. military rule was favourable to the feudal for two reasons. one, the general, by dint of his training, was unaware of the political culture. morover, every general promised to put democracy on tracks before withdrawing to the barracks. they then imposed a false façade of democracy which allowed the feudal to once again come to power.
Thrice in the history of Pakistan, men of destiny were given the opportunity to give the country the system for which it was created: democracy. these men were ayub khan.zia ul haq and musharaff.in between them was a boozer, womanizer a debauch yahya khan, under whose rule east Pakistan was sliced off. but this too was an act of destiny. alas,the generals fettered the golden opportunity. Had they made the best of the chance, it would not only have sustained there rule for long, but also turned them immortal in the annals of history.
N.R.O, the ordinance of 2007, gave a severe blow to democracy.the ordinance aimed at reconcialtion between the person of musharaff and chairperson of ppp humiliated the country before the world.it gave the message that it pays to be a corrupt in Pakistan.morover,it also encouraged the wrong doers to exploit law, as they were guaranteed amnesty.
Over developed state structure has also prevented democracy from developing in pakistan.pakistan,according to the constitution is a federation.this required that uniform measure of auntomy should be granted to provinces. however,the centre refused to comply inorder maintain maximum control in its hands and prolong the durability of ruling government.
Fiscal imbalances has led to crises of federation and prevented democracy from establishing roots in Pakistan. No attempt before 18th amendment of 2010 was made to overturn this injustice.this unfair practice has sowed seeds of sectarianism,.provincialism and racialism which is the basis of most of the protests and demonstrations today.
“Democracy lies in the hands of the citizens” is rightly quoted. in Pakistan,however,more than half the population is uneducated.even a major chunk of the educated class is indifferent of the political process.this allures undemocratic elements to come into politics and seize power. this heralds in an era exploitation. corruption and injustice.
Media independence is vital for democracy.however,media should follow some rules,regulations and ethics.unfortunately,in Pakistan media goes beyond all rules.commercialism lures it to pursue yellow journalism. Media exaggerates events. media criticism has a positive impact but at the same time it can invite wrath of the public.the mass gets frustrated and starts demanding change,good or bad.
Terrorism has marred democracy from flourishing in Pakistan.it also led to the assassination of former chair person of ppp who believed “democracy is not only important for peace but also to eradicate terrorism”.the current stream of terrorism and extremism has budded off a ew ideology.the bearers of this ideology believe that democracuy is not consistent with Islamic principle.they misguide people to abandon democracy.they fail to understand that democracy can develop under the aegis of sharia.
Foreign hands have played an important role in the deterioration of democratic culture in Pakistan.foreign countries and agencies have openly condemned undemocratic countries in Pakistan.but behind the curtains,they have formed a collusion with dictators be it ayub khan,zia ul haq or more lately general musharaff.
No doubt, the past and present of Pakistani democracy exhibit a gloomy picture but, we should keep hope alive and take measures to develop democratic values in country. first of all, political parties and political players should play a positive role.political parties are the primary instituition of political system. they ensure the involvement of mass in political system of the country.similarly, politicians should set standards of morality and honesty. the old practices of high handedness ,corruption and dishonesty should be discarded.
Transparent system of accountability should be developed in Pakistan. this will not only enhance the trust of general public, but also ensure that thousands of people in offices will discharge their duties more responsibly. Parliament is a representative of the public. efforts should be undertaken to ensure that the head of the state is accountable to the parliament and all of his actions should not be accepted as such.
Economic growth will usher in an era of prosperity. A prosper society is more likely to adopt lofty principles such as equality, freedom and democracy. indeed,the most developed countries are the ones that practice democracy in its most ideal form. Nehru stated,” democracy is the best form of government, I say this,because the rest are worst”
Education is the key to a developed nation. pakistan is an Islamic state and islam has time and again ordained its followers to leave no stone unturned in pursuing education.only education can create awareness among the masses of the blessings and benefits of democracy.as luck would have it, ion Pakistan even a sizeable majority of educated people are unaware of the significance of democracy.the issue can only be resolved if, the curricula is revised.and the importance of democracy is inculcated into the minds of the scholars. Once informed,they will then withstand and surpass all the obstacles in the path of democracy.
Gender discrimination in the electionerring process also prevents the development of a true democracy.in many sections of Pakistani society, women are deprived of their basic right to vote.women constitute a large section of the society. such a denial prevents democracy from flourishing in Pakistan. It is therefore desired that common people should realize the power of every vote: woman’s or a man’s.
Judiciary is a pillar of the state. An efficient and just judiciary is important for the development of any society.this provides redressal to the greviances of the masses. It also prevents people from resorting to illegal measures, as their grievances are redressed promptly.however,time and again,judiciary has crossed its constitutionally defined limits and intervened into political process. The judiciary should perform the tasks it is entrusted with and not meddle with political process as the clash of institutions is never in the best interest of the nation.
Pakistan, being an independent nation, should not let other countries determine its future. The country should not take the dictations of any country, be it a super power or any neighbor.history divulges, that Pakistan has been used as a scapegate multiple times and this has caused harm to its national interest. the foreign ministry should devise out an independent plan where the country should not be allowed to act upon the whims of another.
Youth constitutes 30% of population and is a representative of future generation.history divulges, that youth played a commendable role in Pakistan movement.it aided in the development of public opinion and creating mass awareness. now is the time,when the youth should be trained to take up its responsibility and play its constructive role in dissemination of democracy.
Leaders should play a constructive role.they should maouevere the mass in the direction of democracy.they should take steps to eradicate feudalism at its grass root level. Apart from that,they should ensure that they provide no excuse for the intervention of any domestic or foreign intervention.
The current 2013 elections were a silver lining in the dark clouds of tyranny and oppression that had hijacked the Pakistanis for too long.the ongoing ppp government was the very first democratically elected government in the history of Pakistan that not only completed its tenure and held transparent elections,but ensured peaceful transition of power to the winning party pml-n.the process began in 2008 when,the sitting government lost in the elections and handed over the power to ppp. Ppp had to face numerous challenges and threats, both at domestic level and at foreign level. in addition,it had not obtained overwhelming majority, that led to the only solution: forming a coalition government. nonetheless, ppp overcame all difficuilties and challenges and completed its tenure.
No doubt, the current scenario is not a very promising one.but it is for sure, that democracy is the only solution to the present crises and that it is here to stay. sooner or later,the country will be developed along democratic lines.the government should take proper and effective steps to ensure the involvement of common mass and civil society into the political process. it can be hoped that the country will not again plunge into another series of unmindful dictator and military rule and will develop alond modern democratic lines.
As shelley said
“Ode to the west wind
The trumpet of a Prophecy! o wind
If winter comes, can spring be far behind”