Democracy

Letter May 08, 2019
He must prove his detractors wrong

KARACHI: Democracy is not about perceptions or reputation. Democracy is about people who are the final arbiters, no matter how poor a reputation a politician might have. Politicians choose their leaders. History later gives its verdict on whether or not they made the right choice. In the case of General Musharraf, the new democratically elected assemblies have spoken clearly against him. Even though he had announced that he intended to complete another five-year term in March 2007, the political landscape changed drastically and he had to resign in August 2008. Since then, he stands discredited and doomed to ignominy.

This scenario perfectly describes what democracy’s revenge would look like. It is hoped that our present leader learns from this, so that history may judge him differently from the baseless perceptions of his past. He must prove his detractors wrong. He has a chance to be a different kind of ruler in Pakistan and make history, and hopefully he will use it well.

Momeena Aqeel

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.