Onward march of democracy

At the end of his party's five-year term, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi received a guard of honour send-off before proceeding to the President's House to participate in the caretaker PM Nasirul Mulk's swearing-in ceremony. That would be an unremarkable event in any other democracy, but in this country, it was a milestone of sorts as it signified continuation of the democratic process. For the first time in 70 years of the country's existence, two elected governments had completed their terms in office one after the other, which made it a special occasion, though not without the nagging regret that so far no elected prime minister has served full term in office.
Since the assassination of the first prime minister Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan's political history has remained chequered with military interventions, and intrigues against elected governments. In 1977, a confident Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto called an early election, only to be overthrown in a military coup by General Ziaul Haq, and imposition of 11 long years of a brutal dictatorship. After Zia's demise in an accident and restoration of democracy, Benazir Bhutto was elected as prime minister, but her government was ousted within less than two years, beginning a game of musical chairs - thanks to backroom manoeuvrings - between her and Nawaz Sharif. Both served two times each, but were unable to finish a full term. In '99 again, the political process was interrupted by another military adventurer, General Pervez Musharraf. A relentless eight-year long struggle against his regime forced him to leave, paving the way for transition to democracy.
Unfortunately, despite ten consecutive years of rule by elected governments the democratic project stays rather weak partly because of tensions in civil-military relations, and partly because of bad governance. Furthermore, two successive civilian governments evinced little interest in strengthening democratic institutions. Ousted PM Nawaz Sharif spent a lot more time making visits abroad than attending proceedings of Parliament. The number of times he went to the National Assembly can be counted on fingers while the Senate had to pass a resolution demanding his regular presence in the House, albeit unsuccessfully. The accountability organizations were never allowed the independence they were supposed to have. Then there is the unpleasant reality that politicians do not trust one another, a major manifestation of which is their decision to institute caretaker governments at the Centre and in the provinces. The trust deficit though could be a baggage of the past as well as some real or perceived threats. A bright side of the situation constitutes the ongoing arguments among politicians and between state institutions. Things may look chaotic, but need to be taken as a necessary part of evolution. Consequently, all involved can be expected to learn to stay within the limits of their respective remits. And that after one or two on-time elections and smooth transfer of power, real democracy will strike a strong root.