( Brief Thought)
Since last elections Sharif brothers continue to rule in old ways without realizing that Pakistan’s political landscape has changed. Imran Khan badly wanted another bite of the apple while he is still popular and did not want to wait for the next elections. Tahir ul Qadri wanted mayhem to prove his credentials. All this brought Pakistan to a collision course resulting in needless loss of innocent lives and bodily injuries. All the politicians, and a Pir turned politician, used masses for their personal devious designs in the name of democracy.
Army is having a meeting of its core commanders today. I hope Army does not use this irresponsible behavior of politicians and violence in the streets to grab the power and impose Martial Law. No matter how terrible and irresponsible behavior of politicians, Martial Law is never the solution. It puts the country back to square one. The politicians have made this mess and they have to learn and clean this mess. This does not put country in danger. A Political process, no matter how messy, does not put country in danger. Such slogans are made by opportunistic forces. Let this process play out and have politicians find the way out.
Dr. Fayyaz’s assessment of the present situation in Pakistan is very realistic. However, I would like to quote from Francis Fukuama’s ‘The Origins of Political Order’: “Human societies do not sweep the decks in every generation. New institutions are typically layered on top of existing ones, which survive for extraordinarily long periods of time. Segmentary lineages, for example, are one of the most ancient forms of social organization and yet they continue to exist in many parts of the world [Pakistan being one of such countries]. It is impossible to understand the possibilities for change in the present without appreciating the legacy, and the way that it often limits choices available to political actors in the present. … Moreover, understanding the complex historical circumstances [as we see the complexity of historical factors in the creation of Pakistan] under which institutions were originally created can help us see why their transfer and imitation are difficult even under modern circumstances.”
Today as Pakistan is making a transition from the past period of authoritarian rule, its politics is stuck in a “gray zone,” where the present ruling party is neither fully authoritarian nor meaningfully democratic. Imran Khan is over aggressive and is struggling to jump over the “gray zone” with one big leap. He needs to understand that political institutions develop over time slowly and often painfully, as society strive to organize itself to master its environments. First of all a political system has to adjust to the changing circumstances before it succeeds.
Mirza Ashraf
The basic lesson of democracy is lost on most of the Muslim nations. A peaceful transfer of power and authority supported by independent law enforcement and judicial institutions. In the latest examples of Pakistan and Afghanistan the various groups refuse to accept any authority other than their own and any attempts at impartial mediation are bound for failure. The added dimension of mob rule like Egypt and now Pakistan only manages to replace one government with another that fosters neither legality or authority. but ongoing turmoil. Such manoevers do not build stable nation states but serve to strengthen the radical militant minorities who seek to replace the unworking models of democratic modernity with medieval religious practices. Imran Khan and Qadri may have been motivated by good intentions but their legacy is going to hobble the democratic aspirations in Pakistan for the forseeable future.