Masquerading as a democracy, the state of Pakistan is far from alone in the world of deception. Most inhabitants of this world do not yet live under a system even remotely approaching democracy. Yet democracy is acknowledged to be, if not perfect, the least imperfect system of governance. The most authoritarian and piratical of regimes, bowing to this belief, style themselves people’s democracies or republics.
Pakistan is a highly imperfect democracy, though in spite of its myriad sins, it boasts even under its military dictatorships that it is a democracy. This present dispensation is particularly prone to claiming democratic credentials, albeit it well knows that even its constitution does not recognise all citizens as being equal in the eye of the law or in the collective eye of its various communities. There are gross inequalities which are constitutionalised and institutionalised in the national mindset.
Women and minorities are the main sufferers, with highly discriminatory laws on the statute books that encourage and sanctify violence being used against them by the state and by their fellow citizens. In which democracy are there such laws as the blasphemy law, as it is manipulated in Pakistan to be used by citizen against citizen, or the Hudood Ordinances which prescribe the totally undemocratic, even barbaric, treatment of women?
Crude religious extremism and militancy, the cynical exploitation by politicians, of all hues, of religious sentiments for personal ends are ongoing and prevalent. No efforts have ever been made, from the very beginnings of this country, to instil or protect a democratic culture — poverty, feudalism, fanaticism, violence and religious intolerance have never been addressed by our venal politicians in or out of khaki. Rather, these vices have been used to perpetuate the occupation of the beloved kursi.
What is now known as the ‘restoration’ of democracy has simply meant a return to corruption and incompetence of the country’s past. Elections alone do not denote democracy, particularly when they are riddled with corruption and even criminalisation. Our political parties themselves are far from democratic, being as most of them are family run concerns, which hold no internal elections. The election commission is a joke, hamstrung and pathetic. The power and legitimacy of the political parties stem from an ignorant, largely illiterate, pliable and bribable electorate.
And then, hand-in-hand with democracy, we have accountability, a prime factor. How fares Pakistan on that score? Well, it makes feverish noises on odd occasions and various regimes have targeted previous regimes, mainly unsuccessfully and in cases where examples have been made, they are trumpeted to be politically motivated. The state has never been a beneficiary of accountability processes, undertaken as they have always been a form of revenge, far divorced from what is actually justice.
The judicial system has been problematic from the early 1950s downwards and no government, including this present one, has been able to tolerate an independent judiciary. We are now in the throes of witnessing the struggles of a judiciary that deems itself to be independent, and is striving to assert that independence over a government and parliament that would rather have it subservient.
The writ of the state is limited. There are vast areas over which it has no control. And what are the functions of a democratic state — it is set up to provide law and order, national defence, justice and to grant to its citizens, inter alia, the right to health facilities, education and the protection of their lives and properties. This state fails on all counts, and worse, by its cowardice and reluctance to take a stand against the obscurantists that run riot, it must claim responsibility for far too many lives lost.
All very gloomy, but if that is how it is, we must face up to it. And when elections come around again, all things being equal, what change will, or can, they bring in?
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Tahir: who entered these bogus votes taliban khan's guru mushraf and his chela who are with him some exceptions. PPP and petition leagus were out and could not influnece vote listing.
Madam,
If you see this, please let me have your cell number via e-mail. I am in Karachi for the next two days. Thanks.
Disagree, with madam jilani partially She deacribed "return to democracy" as a return toward corruption . Thaomas jackson who has worked on the fragile syastems of africa states has described the corruption as a reason of "political inaecurity withim political class just after return of democracy from dictatorship..
One cant exonerate political parties of it,but one must understand continuity of systwm is key in eradicating coerupt pratasics from system,
How can a party that doesn't want local democracy be considered democratic. What it means they like coming to power and election is only way. By the way, Pakistan is even shamed by Ghana. How come cities there can have training centers for trade;but, not here. They, by the way, got a local system under military govt;and even after return to democracy there is continued evolution.But, primitive Pakistani politicans ( the we love Commissionerate system crowd) cannot understand why that would be so.
all pseudointelectuals seem to be dictators nurtured people who find it easy to blame PPP for every imaginable problem,,to cut short has this supreme court cut corruption even by one percent in its subordinate judiciary ?? find out Amina gilani sahiba and then criticise
@Justice: As there is no other national secular party the only viable option is PPP. It is not the people but the ideology that poor Pakistanis vote for. Thanks for the truth. @Tahir: Sir can we be a little honest? The list was prepared by the army dictators and PPP was nowhere in the picture at that time. Once the current voter's lists are completed only then you can malign the current govt for "bogus" votes. In fact the new lists are only going to help the coalition govt which has deep roots in rural Pakistan. Regards, Mirza
The author asserts that the judiciary is striving to assert its independence from the government and parliament. Fair enough. However, an independent judiciary also has a responsibility to establish and sustain a judicial framework that provides for due process.
The current judiciary misuses its independence to initiate capricious reviews and reach arbitrary judgements using the rather flimsy basis of suo motu. It is notorious for turning a blind eye to the unconstitutional blasphemy statutes, preferring instead to meddle in frivolous matters such as the overhyped Memogate affair.
@justice, poor friendly policies? the number of people under the poverty line has doubled under PPP rule, handing out a few cheques doesn't mean poor friendly. Bhuttoism is dead, zardari buried it.
You have managed to draw a very sharp picture of our present state of affairs in this short article. I would say our problems are Biblical in proportion and consequently the solutions must also be such that the Lord above must have a hand in them because our mortals certainly do not measure up.
Once again, my vote is for PPP. It's poor friendly policies and its liberal social narrative, I do not see in any other party or groups. Long live Bhuttoism.
45% bogus vote, but the PPP sympathisers will say 'democracy needs time to work.', Corruption and governance can be fixed if the leaders are willing.