KARACHI:
To be a member of the international community, a state must be sovereign. This sovereignty is drawn from the people. according to the Western concept of politics, it resides with the people. In Islam, however, sovereignty belongs to Allah and it is exercised on His behalf by the people as His agents. People exercise this sovereignty through elections in which their general will is determined. Selecting representatives to govern us is a social contract, not an inherent right of politicians.
That said, when elections are perceived by some to be less than fully credible, the legitimacy of that social contract grows increasingly dubious. By manipulating their mandate and the sovereignty of the state, governments violate the core spirit of statehood. Above and beyond this, there are instances where such a mandate has been used to pursue changes to existing legal structures, which some might argue could have implications for the balance between different branches of government. Alas! The young mind wonders whether this is legal, right, acceptable, productive or it is vice, criminal, deviation and sin?
Babar Hussain Mastoi
Larkana
