As the election in Pakistan
draws near, one question that has troubled a lot of people these days is|:
Is Democracy the right system
for Pakistan?
In this series of blogs, I
will try to analyze the prerequisites and basic components of democracy in Pakistani
context. The objective of this series is to highlight my arguments against
democracy in Pakistan. This first blog is about the most fundamental
requirement for democracy. I will try to show that Pakistan has failed to live
up to the globally recognized standards.
In a famous
quote, Abraham Lincoln said,
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
This quote alone is enough to
disqualify Pakistan as a country fit for democracy. A democratic system is based on equal and universal say of the citizens. The system is based on equivalent
representation of the citizens through a direct or indirect expression of
opinion of the citizens.
To be labeled as a democracy,
a country must fulfill certain basic requirements. Sadly, Pakistan as a country
and nation has failed to demonstrate even one of these characteristics.
The first and foremost is a
complete and unconditional guarantee of basic civil rights to all the citizens.
In all cases, the state must ensure that citizens are free to join any
political or religious group, free to assemble and hold peaceful demonstrations,
free to go any judicial platform to ask for relief, free to defend themselves
in event of attack (self-defense) and free to vote for any candidate they
prefer.
When it comes to Pakistan,
the state of Pakistan has failed to guarantee any of these rights. These rights
are denied covertly through different mediums. The infamous section
144 is a case in point. The section
has been abused by every government since the creation of the country. It has
been used to crush the political activism by ruthless application of police and
paramilitary force.
Often, section 144 is used as
a harassment tactics because of the sentence it carry. According to the website
of Punjab Police, the sentence is six months
of imprisonment. This duration is perfect for muzzling the opposition. The
sentence keeps the prominent leaders off the streets without drawing too much
protest from the opposition.
The right to vote is perhaps
the most abused right in the list. The entire history of Pakistan is riddled
with rigged elections and ballot box stuffing. Every election since the
inception of the country has been controlled by the security establishment. Even
the politicians have tried to influence the outcome of elections via unfair
means.
Elections in Pakistan are
contested not by political canvasing. This might come as a surprise to many
readers who will point out the volume of political activities that heat up the election
scene. However, the real action takes place on the streets. Strong-arm tactics
are the real key of winning the elections at any level.
Every political party in
Pakistan maintains a strong-arm wing. Even the parties that base their politics
on religion are no exception. Usually
this terror squad is disguised as a student or labor wing. The religious
parties usually draw upon the students of madrasas to do their dirty work.
For democracy to work in Pakistan, the establishment of Pakistan must ensure that every citizen must have access to these civil rights. As long as the basic fundamentals of the provisions of these rights remain a dream, democracy will remain a pipe dream for the people of Pakistan.
This blog was published at Awamiweb
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