July 01, 2018

Is democracy a one time affair in Pakistan?

located:	Pakistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

The summer of 2018 will be remembered by millions in Pakistan for the persistent shortages of electricity, water and steadily declining value of the national currency.

Above all, however, this summer is set to go down in history as yet another year when the ruling elite were seen – though briefly and indifferently – mingling with the common voters in  their constituencies after some four years of grabbing their votes. 

The fooling around of voters is done through various acts, from fake generosity to spreading fears of others, luring the population with shallow short-term material gains as well as brazenly manipulating the voters’ religious, ethnic and other sentiments. One might argue this happens in every democratic nation, yet this is evident ten fold within developing countries such as Pakistan.

In Pakistan, a country of close to 200 million citizens, however, the democratic process has been distorted into a one-time affair limited to the day of voting only. There is a clear ‘political engineering’ taking place on the part of the so-called hidden forces – usually the army – to ensure election of a certain group of people and parties through measures including restrictions on the free press, judicial as well as other pressures on the opposite group of people and parties.

In its essence, democracy works to guarantee equal rights and freedom to masses in a geography where the system of governance is made as such through general consensus. Democracy works oppose the continuation of a cycle that undermines institutions and values for individuals with authoritarian and feudal backgrounds promoting a monopoly of blatant power and rampant corruption at every level.

For the forthcoming general elections taking place on July 25, many notoriously militant and proscribed groups known for spreading hatred and killings have been allowed to campaign and compete. The participation of women and other minority groups remains elusive.

The country’s leading and reputed newspaper, Dawn, has been placed under immense pressure. In a rare outcry, the Dawn reported that it has been the casualty of civil-military discord and strife in the country. The publication of an article in the newspaper on Oct 6, 2016, titled ‘Act against militants or face international isolation, civilians tell military’, opened a new chapter of threats and intimidation against Dawn.

The effects of the insidious campaign against Dawn continued until the publication of an on-the-record interview with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif last month ignited a cycle of new and intensified attacks against the newspaper. The seemingly retaliatory measures taken against Dawn in recent weeks have been deeply alarming and should concern all free-thinking and democratic citizens of the country, the newspaper stated.

Under such circumstances, only free media can help spread awareness and organise the masses to make the 2018 general elections memorable by electing true servants rather than new masters.