Time to consolidate democracy

The quandary over the future of yet another democratic order, which was put in place at the end of three years of COAS General Pervez Musharraf's government, accompanying as it does today's celebrations marking the 60th year of the earth shaking democratic revolution that brought Pakistan into being will, undoubtedly, leave its enlightened citizens intrigued by too frequent debasement of democracy, itself, in this country.
For, as repeatedly pointed out in these columns, post-independence democratic dispensation in Pakistan, itself a creation of a gigantic exercise in vote and ballot, has remained distorted by too many interruptions, thereby allowing too little time for its consolidation. The very creation of Pakistan, which then enthralled the world, was made possible only by the indomitable courage of conviction, and unshakeable sense of the worth and value of democracy of the Muslim masses of the subcontinent.
It is, then, no insignificant a misfortune that the country still remained deprived of democracy's blessings, despite its humiliating break-up only around quarter of a century after its emergence. Nevertheless, the sad plight of democracy in this country, though invariably traced largely to the deviation of early successors of the Father of the Nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah from his chosen path, was only worsened by attempts at reversing the decline through military interventions which proved of no consequential value either. In fact, these attempts proved instrumental in adding a great deal more to the nation's disillusionment and frustration.
This is the lesson of history. Now time has certainly come when the democracy loving people, both inside and outside the government, should fulfil their obligation to social justice, constitutionalism, fair play and rule of law that go together.
Among other deviations from the Quaid's path made later, mention may specifically be made of the late General Zia-ul-Haque's temerity to assert that there was no place for democracy in Islam, thereby vainly, trying to falsify the great leader's solemn declaration that democracy was in the very blood of the Muslim masses in the subcontinent. This was no idle boast of the Quaid. For it stood convincingly demonstrated by history in later years.
Pakistan came into being not by any armed uprising, unlike in certain other countries, but through the battle of ballot boxes. That all sections of the Muslims nation in the then undivided British India, voted as one man in favour of pro-Pakistan candidates, would testify to their sense of devotion to the democratic ideal and to nothing else.
They did not waver even in the face of opposition to Pakistan by the politico-religious Ulema groups, who, in their own wisdom, had rallied around the anti-Pakistan forces, under-estimating the democratic urges and aspirations of the people and taking them for granted.
It will be noted that, learning the right lesson from the grim reality of the situation on the ground in the wake of the implementation of the 1935 Act, the Muslims had found their salvation, unmistakably, lay in establishing a democratic state of their own.
It was this unshakeable belief that made them turn to the Quaid as their undisputed leader. This, then, is a point to ponder, at least, on an occasion like the celebration of the anniversary of the creation of Pakistan. Thus, to the bewilderment of detractors of the Quaid and the Muslim League, there emerged an undefeatable force that led to the establishment of the new State, strictly in accordance with their popular demand.
It is, however, another matter that the political parties under the banner of nationalities and other groups claiming to be the sole defenders of the faith, did not take their defeat lying down. For, evidently, taking advantage of the Quaid's death, and his small-minded successors' craving for loaves and fishes of offices, they struck back, with greater reliance on the common people's half-baked notions of religious obligations. More to this, the replacement of one civilian government, by military governments, every now and then, left little time for the consolidation of democratic institutions.
The vacuum thus created, provided enough encouragement to the protagonists of vaguely pronounced Islamic order. So much so that it paved the way for extremism, more so during the years of Afghan war against Soviet occupation, culminating in emergence of Jihadi groups, with the support of the anti-Soviet forces, along with Pakistan itself.
As for its little foreseen fallout, it has now become discernible in the identification of Pakistani Muslims as terrorists. It will, thus be noted that it was largely the absence of democratic government that earned the country the hostility of the Western powers and the baseless reputation of a sanctuary of terrorism. In this grim context, it will be in the fitness of things for us to revive democracy in the country as to wipe out the utterly dangerous image vis-à-vis the West and retrieve its lost place in the comity of nations.