The establishment needs to understand that democracy will be strengthened only if the Constitution is respected.
LAHORE: This is in reference to Dr Tariq Rehman’s article of December 21 titled “The dangers of 2012”. In it the writer has pointed out what he considers the biggest threat to democracy.
The irony is that the existing weak democracy itself ultimately tends to open the doors for authoritarianism. While, the systems in place in India and Pakistan both originated from a British system of government of constitutional liberalism, they went very different ways. Democracy is strong in India while in Pakistan, we keep trying to aim for it, but usually don’t succeed.
The establishment needs to understand that democracy will be strengthened only if the Constitution is respected and if the judiciary is strong and neutral. Of course, a free press and media can also play a very large role in bringing this kind of change.
Wajieha Waheed
LUMS
Published in The Express Tribune, December 26th, 2011.
