Only those who want to kill off Pakistani democracy in its infancy talk of a clash of institutions, said former law minister Senator Babar Awan on Thursday, while talking to reporters in Karachi.
Standing on the steps of the Supreme Court Registry in the country’s commercial capital, just a stone’s throw away from Karachi’s financial district, Babar Awan said that Article 6 of the constitution stood like a the Great Wall of China between any future dictator and the sanctity of Pakistani democracy.
Senator Awan, who was the government’s counsel in the suo motu proceedings on the violence in Karachi over the summer, seemed to suggest that the government was confident of winning the next general election in 2013, stating that in five years, democracy would grow strong and in another five, grow even stronger.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2011.
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Response Some media hawks and overzealous political whiz-kids, inspired by recent uprisings in the Middle East are demanding a change on the same patterns. It is juvenile to say the least. Pakistan is not Tunisia, neither is it Egypt. We have an elected government, an elected parliament, an independent media, and an active judiciary. We can air our grievances openly, we can vent our spleen without any fear, we can criticise any wrongdoing and we can take our pleas to the judiciary. We have a lot of room to breathe, whereas in Middle Eastern countries the suffocating despotism sparked violent unrests. In those countries, long-entrenched potentates had suppressed their people so much and for so long that people had no choice but to rise up. We need not travel down the same road. It leads to mayhem and bloodshed. We already have our plate of national challenges full, we need not bring more issues on to it. So what is the way forward? Should we keep whining and grousing? What are our options? Our options are very much clear. Soon we will have new elections. This is going to be the second time that an elected government is going to fulfil its mandated tenure. It will go down as seminal achievement in the democratic history of Pakistan and will help the tradition of democracy in taking root.In our quest for long-term stability, we should support this peaceful and regular process instead of standing up for some unknown, irregular and spasmodic changes.History has witnessed even vanguard revolutionaries being hoisted on their own petard by the disruptive masses. For us the solution lies in the evolution of the democratic setup and not in some sort of revolution whose ramifications are invariably unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Response Undemocratic forces are constantly trying to derail present government on many counts and army intervention has been called for time and again by certain political circles, However the majority still seems wedded to its resolve to promote and protect democracy and allow this government to complete its five-year term. Giving leeway to the present political set up is important. We have a nascent democracy and its norms and values are yet to penetrate deep into the political system. The undemocratic forces have left us with institutional imbalances, lack of political consensus building, immature political parties and unpolished leadership. Personalisation of power and authoritarian style of governance pursued by both civilian and military rulers in the past have left a deep impact on all spheres of civil and political life. In this backdrop, if someone finds some shortcomings in the performance of the present government should be of no wonder. Yet we should not hesitate to underscore the historical achievements of this government as well, achievements which include the 18th Amendment, National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, amendments in the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), extension of the Political Parties Order 2002 to FATA. For the establishment of democratic norms, Pakistan requires a strong parliament, free and fair timely elections, guaranteed human rights, gender equality and non-discrimination, an active civil society, effective political parties, independent media and above all a committed leadership. It is hoped that the rule of democracy will continue and translate into concrete solutions to the ills that plague the existence of the common man.
Sure democracy needs more time but what about corruption, Name a single step which has been taken by the government which ensures transparency and roots out corruption. Not a single government institution is being run by competent people. Not a single Minister has the skills, experience or educational background to run a ministry. What we have is a massive loot and plunder of the taxpayers money under the garb of democracy. And is democracy built on bogus votes? Bogus votes equals a bogus government leading to the failure of government and state
And what would this man would know about democracy? Perhaps Mr. Awan needs to focus more on completing that law degree and less on telling Pakistanis what they already know!
Ya, you keep asking more time so you and your govt dont leave a single penny in National accounts and till you dont bring every single Pakistani below poverty line by sucking our blood and money.