Pakistan, since its day of
inception, has faced several challenges to establish a true democratic system,
which could guarantee its survival, stability and development. Every democratic
period has been followed by the military rule. Unfortunately, the plant of
democracy has not taken its roots deep enough to make the country, “a durable
democratic state.” This is the reason that until now democracy in Pakistan is
prone to many threats. These threats emanate from internal as well as external
factors. Internal threats include political, social, economic, as well as
religious which have resulted in the weakening of democracy in Pakistan. Lack of
mature leadership, confrontation between the main organs of the state, poor
relations between the centre and the provinces, rampant corruption, distrust
among the politicians, strong bureaucracy and crisis of governance are the
immediate threats to democracy in Pakistan. Furthermore, meddling with the
constitution has also dealt a severe blow to democracy in Pakistan. In addition
to this, terrorism, energy crisis, ethnicity and sectarianism, domestic
violence, religious intolerance, economic instability, unemployment, and recent
natural calamity is posing a great threat to democratic government in Pakistan.
Not only this, but recurring foreign interventions in our national affairs, our
country’s tarnished image across the world, and weak diplomacy is also
contributing in destabilizing democratic setup. Fuelling to the fire,
Government’s indifference towards people and its inability to resolve these
problems is mounting frustration among the masses. This frustration is proving
venomous and it could derail the process of democracy in Pakistan.
Lack of leadership is one of the greatest threats to democracy in Pakistan.
Since the tragic demise of the great Quaid we have been devoid of mature and
competent leadership. Absence of visionary leadership has been the biggest
dilemma for the country. Our leaders have always served their own vested
interests and have divested the nation of the basic amenities of life. In such
conditions, democracy has suffered a lot and is still suffering. The malignant
intentions of our political spearheads, have not only smudged the image of
Pakistan before the globe, but have also proved fatal for the democratic
survival.
For a sturdy political environment, the conformity between all the institutions
of the government is pivotal. In the absence of mature and sensible leadership,
the confrontation between institutions is prevailing. For instance, the
government’s non-compliance with implementation of the decisions of the Supreme
Court on various matters of national importance (including the NICL corruption
case) is a point of concern. Consequently, there is surfacing a
government-judiciary mismatch. By thwarting an oversight of the court, the
government is trying to run its affairs, in which the top priority is to
complete the tenure. The clash between the main organs of the state has been
leading to the catastrophe of the democratic state.
Poor relations between centre and the four provinces of the country are also a
threat to democracy. Coordination between them is essential to run the machinery
of the state smoothly. On the contrary, the centre and provinces have always
been at loggerhead with each other. Disharmony over natural resources and other
issues have kept democracy under strain. The tragic fall of Dhaka was the result
of such contentious relations. That’s why; Pakistan has always been experiencing
political instability. These conditions have again and again provided army a
rationale to topple the civilian government.
The ongoing turmoil has started a new debate about the military role in the
democratic setup. Due to lack of political insight, our politicians have
frequently invited the military, to topple the democratic government by opting
unconstitutional means. Thus our incompetent leaders have endangered the
survival of political and democratic values of the country. Resultantly, the
seed of a great democratic culture, sowed by the great Quaid, never appeared to
turn into a strong tree.
In addition, meddling with the constitution has caused ineffaceable damage to
democracy. A constitution is considered as a guardian of democracy.
Unfortunately, the constitution, which was drafted after nine years of the
independence in 1956, was strangled after military coup by Ayub Khan in 1958. A
proper constitution was formulated in 1973, but every dictator trimmed this
constitution in accordance to his own personal interests. Moreover, our
political forces have also played a horrible role in deteriorating the original
draft of the constitution. Resultantly, we have remained unable to protect the
strong democratic traditions.
Strong bureaucracy and feudal system are another threat to democracy. Their
secret coalition is hindering the growth of democracy in a smooth way. Their
compromise with each other has resulted in the accumulation of power in fewer
hands. Even the universal suffrage could have not been effective. Thus, the
circulation is power in a handful families is making the structure hollow. Today
we will hardly see people from middle class and lower class in politics, because
of sheer force and influence of these politicians, such class could not get free
hand to participate in politics that is absolutely against the Democracy. Noam
Chomsky has rightly said about derailing of democracy that” if you want to
restrict democracy transfer power of decision making from public arena to
unaccountable institutions, kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas,
and feudal Lords.”
Political disharmony is proving to be venomous for the democratic setup. All the
major political powers are busy in point scoring and blame game. They are least
concerned with addressing the problems of the nation, and hence, a sense of
deprivation among the people is replicating immensely. Without cooperation
between the political supreme, the dream for a durable democratic state would
remain a fantasy.
Adding fuel to the fire, rampant corruption is proving catastrophic for
democracy to survive. Corruption remains a substantial obstacle for Pakistan and
democratic system. Transparency International (TI) has ranked Pakistan 34th most
corrupt nation in the world. First government of PPP in 1988 was sacked because
of charges of corruption, similarly elections held in 1997 were accused of such
charges, and the recent compromise on corruption in the form of NRO, has raised
many questions in the minds of nation against the credibility of political
elite. The menace of corruption is hollowing the roots of already weak
democracy.
The spectre of corruption is growing stronger in absence of true accountability.
Accountability which aims at strengthening the roots of democracy is lacking in
our country. The national anti-corruption agency, National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) which was created in 2002 and endowed with the powers of investigating and
prosecuting the cases against the corrupt leaders, has failed to play its role
effectively. . Thus, in the absence of accountability everyone, whatever illegal
he does, thinks it as his right. It is a sort of deluge which is weakening the
democracy to its roots and posing a great threat.
Lack of accountability coupled with crisis of governance is posing a challenge
to the smooth running of the system. Pakistan is facing a constant dilemma of
poor governance. It has generated mistrust and has undermined the proficient and
transparent delivery of public services and the implementation of programs in an
efficient manner. Poverty has been growing in the country at an alarming level
and in just last three years of democratic regime, it has reached to 40 per cent
from 17.13 per cent in 2008. Owing to increasing poverty, people find themselves
challenged even to procure basic staples such as flour and pulses. Pakistan’s
level of human development is low and its education indicators are the worst in
South Asia. Despite having huge natural resources, our country has entered into
a stagflation, which is the worst-ever scenario. Investment is rapidly flying
from Pakistan due to unfavourable economic environment in the country which is
not a good omen for democracy.
Owing to poor governance, the government is losing control over law and order
situation. When individuals put themselves ahead of institutions, they set a bad
example. Suicide attacks, target killing, robbery and other crimes have become
norm of the day. Innocent people have been killed on ethnic basis and government
seems helpless in this regard which is also a dangerous sign for democratic
rule.
The current pathetic situation of conflicts and distrust are solely the outcomes
of a weak democratic setup. Media plays a pivotal role in moulding and reshaping
the beliefs of a lay man. Unfortunately, the recent media hype in relation to
the political activities has been aggravated the situation. Media’s biasness has
ignited a flame of political imbalance and disharmony which in turn, has been
weakening the roots of democratic culture in Pakistan.
Another matter remains to be one of the major threats to democracy is the weak
judicial system of Pakistan. Every now and again when the democratic rule was
deposed by the military ruler the weak judiciary played a crucial rule in
strengthening the hands of military. The weak judiciary has provided every
military a legal cover under the pretext of expediency. In current scenario,
there is again a threat that history could repeat itself if the guardians of
democracy continued to disrespect the norms of democracy and judiciary.
Above mentioned threats to democracy relate to the political sphere which are
collectively giving rise to social threats. Poverty stricken society, illiterate
masses, social injustice, domestic violence, sense of insecurity and frustration
among the masses are sowing the seeds of hatred for democracy.
Weak and poverty stricken society, gives birth to resentment. A society, lacking
food security, is least concerned with their rights. Fraternity and impartiality
could not be the hall mark of such a culture, where more than half of the total
population of the country is living below the poverty line. Consequently
democratic trends cannot prevail in such an environment where the people are
paying tax even on the purchase of a match box and the grain is getting beyond
their reach.
Furthermore, illiterate masses, have also contributed in deteriorating the
political system of the country. A nation with such a low literacy rate can only
breed a frail political and democratic culture. An educated person is aware of
his rights and can fight for the principles, and resultantly, his voice cannot
remain unheard. Contrary to this philosophy, an ignorant society weakens the
democratic values.
Sadly, the political psyche of the people is also very negative due to low level
of political awareness and socialization. And this trend allowed the hegemonic
forces to keep media, educational institutions, peers and public forums from
incorporating a political consciousness into the people. The masses are even not
able to resist the Martial Laws, and the civil society is always succumbed to
the military rule.
In context to Pakistan social injustice is a prevalent feature. Citizens of
Pakistan are unaware of social justice concept and its effects on society.
Pakistan’s civil and military rulers and elite class have been plundering this
country since independence. Social justice is a norm, value and principle of the
healthy society and identity of a prosperous peaceful country, one should
realise the fact that social injustice does not only affect the life of a common
man but also jeopardize national machinery. It is what on which whole system is
based on and if it’s unstable than the country would be in line of where now
Pakistan stands.
Increasing domestic violence is also proving detrimental for democracy to
prevail. Day to day target killing, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and other
crimes made people vulnerable. Sense of insecurity is increasing and people
insecure even within their homes. Protection of the life and property of the
common people is the first and foremost duty of the government. But owing to
government’s failure is breeding frustration among the masses which in turn is
giving rise to unfavourable conditions for democracy and paving path for
anti-democratic forces to come into play.
Economic stability is a hallmark of a democracy. It plays the role of a backbone
for democracy. On the other hand, economic instability serves as toppling factor
for democracy. Despite having all the resources and authority the government has
been unable to manage the economy efficiently and come up with viable policies
to improve the lives of common people. Our economy which, has already been
suffering heavily at the hands of terrorism, is hit hard by recent turmoil in
Karachi and floods in 2010 and 2011. Agricultural sector is witnessing a worst
scenario ever. Instead of showing upward turn GDP is constantly going down. All
these factors are leading Pakistan to the brink of political instability.
Energy crisis is further adding fuel to the fire. Energy is just like fuel for
the economy; similarly existence of energy crisis makes the economy vulnerable
and adversely affects the industrial sector. For instance, the textile industry
of Pakistan is badly hit by the energy crisis. Many textile units in Faisalabad
have been closed down. In fact, the whole country is suffering from the
scheduled and unscheduled power outages, which indeed have disturbed both
domestic life and economic activities in the country. People have started
agitating in streets and damaging public property. Thus, the energy imbalance
has become a threat to the economic growth and prosperity of Pakistan.
Not only this, but energy crisis is also giving rise to unemployment.
Deteriorating conditions of agricultural and industrial sectors and government’s
inability to provide employment to its masses is indirectly weakening the roots
of democracy. The ongoing chaos in many Arab countries is the result of the
failure of the rulers to provide employment and other necessities of life to
their people.
Incessant inflation coupled with food crisis is also a dangerous sign for
democracy. Food commodities are getting beyond common man’s reach. The world’s
financial experts have placed Pakistan on a list of 36 countries that face a
serious food crisis, warning that if the situation worsen people may raid
storage facilities for food. Causes of food insecurity are as various as its
consequences but government’s frail management has made this issue complex and
not only threatening the lives of more than 83 million Pakistanis.
The recent natural calamity, in the shape of floods, which has paralysed our
economy, is real test for the government. All the sectors of the economy,
especially agriculture and industry, have been severely hampered by tis
devastation. Under the above said pitiful conditions, the failure of the
government to tackle this challenge would be a failure of democracy itself.
The current stream of extremism and terrorism has brought forth a new ideology.
This new ideological approach is also the most immediate threat to democracy in
Pakistan today. These extremist elements equally manipulate the government and
the common people. Their own version of Islam has become a means of playing with
the sentiments of the already deprived masses. Hence, the bearers of this new
ideology of governance consider democracy non Islamic and thus completely
useless for an Islamic state. The prevailing conditions of the country and the
demand for implementation of sharia (their own version), is a testimony to this
ideological belief. For these elements, the concept of democracy is western thus
against Islam.
Religious intolerance and Sectarianism are further inflicting a heavy damage to
democracy in Pakistan. The seed of religious intolerance, that took its roots in
1979 after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, has now grown into a strong tree.
Every successive government has failed to provide security to minorities. Recent
incidents of blatant killings of the people of Shia community have further
exposed the government’s failure in protecting the minorities. In a report
regarding religious freedom released by Washington Pakistan was cited among 10
countries, “failing to sufficiently protect religious rights”. The report
includes a long list of case studies of violence and discrimination against
Ahmedis, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and other Muslim sects.
Recurring foreign intervention into our national and domestic issues is also
proving hazardous for democracy to sustain. A country, with sturdy democratic
norms, does not allow any foreign power to intervene into its matter of domestic
and national interest. Countries, especially America, are more interested in
framing Pakistan’s policies than that of its own. Our national integrity is at
stake due to our political disharmony and democratic redundancy. US have always
exerted its influence on every government, whether it’s a democratic or
military, to serve its covert interests. Its staunch support to every military
ruler has caused an ineffaceable damage to democracy and has never given a fair
chance to elected democratic government to survive.
Finally, Pakistan’s tarnished image across the world as a true democratic polity
is not less than a threat in itself. Above all the military and quasi-military
rule strangled the democratic rule in the country. World Bank and other
financial institutions have persistently laid sanctions upon the Pakistan. These
financial penalties and restrains upon trade is the outcome of weedy democratic
in the past and frequent military coups.
From the above discussion it is evident that democracy has many threats some are
internal and others from external front. The need of the hour is to show the
sincerity of purpose. Following are the pragmatic solutions to fortify the
flimsy democratic culture in the country.
• Political parties must be strengthened to promote political culture and avoid
political disharmony.
• Sovereignty of parliament must be ensured to protect democracy from threats
posed by anti-state actors.
• Judiciary should be made independent and its decisions must be respected to
promote coordination among institutions.
• Educational reforms should be introduced. Government should revise its
educational policy and make it much more effective both in letter and spirit.
• Political awareness must be created among the masses.
• The role of feudal lords and bureaucrats in politics must be minimised to
promote democratic culture.
• Viable economic policies must be put in place to prevent economic instability
and improve the lives of common people.
• There is a dire need of mature leadership avert the threats to democracy.
• Youth participation in political process must be encouraged.
• The government should furnish a worthy foreign policy and shall clearly define
its level of interaction and cooperation with the world.
• An effective and efficient system of check and balances is the dire need of
the hour to strengthen the democratic process.
• There are few anti-government channels that try to highlight the pessimistic
side of the country, such programs should not be broadcasted as they
deteriorates the image of country.
To conclude, it can be said that democracy doesn’t just spring out of thin air,
it is a gradual process taking decades sometimes centuries. Our leaders must
realize the importance of democracy and must respect the power delegated to them
through vote. Though democracy is facing a multi-dimensional threats yet they
can be tackled efficiently if will is there. Our leaders must shun their vested
interests and join hands in hands to fight against all the anti-political
forces. They must coordinate and utilize public power in right direction to
create awareness. All the institutions must work in conformity with each other
to strengthen democracy. All the contentious issues between provinces and centre
must be resolved on priority basis. Good governance must be ensured to encourage
democracy. Democracy can be bolstered by competent leadership who realizes and
understands the real cause of failed democracy in Pakistan. The government
should furnish a worthy foreign policy and shall clearly define its level of
interaction and cooperation with the world. If we have to survive as a nation,
we all should make collective efforts to nurture the feeble plant of democracy
into a fruit and shelter giving plant.