EDITORIAL: In a detailed statement issued to mark the International Day of Democracy, being observed on September 15, the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) has rightly lamented the continued erosion of democratic norms and institutions in the country, and has called for a strategic dialogue to determine rules of the game for democratic governance.
Given that the purpose behind commemorating the day is to reinforce the importance of upholding free speech, civil liberties and the rule of law, as well as ensuring accountable institutions, the serious concerns expressed by PILDAT are all the more justified as Pakistan continues to grapple with grave challenges in these very areas, underscoring the need for reformed attitudes of state institutions whose actions have undermined the country’s progress towards a more representative and accountable system of governance.
As very aptly put by PILDAT, “Pakistan’s democracy is proverbially between a rock and a hard place”, as on the one hand is the seemingly growing influence of unelected forces in varied spheres, be it politics, parliamentary proceedings or economic affairs, and on the other is the highly worrying phenomenon of even elected representatives displaying increasingly authoritarian tendencies.
Since the start of the year, several developments of national importance – the general elections featuring prominently here – have only proven the compromised independence of various organs of government and the limited ability of citizens to exercise their right to elect their representatives to parliament.
Not only were the general elections held much later than constitutionally mandated, the Election Commission of Pakistan, through its various actions before, during and after the polls, has continued to demonstrate complete incompetence and at times a brazen lack of impartiality, eroding the public’s confidence in its ability to safeguard electoral processes.
Furthermore, the worsening of democratic norms and practices has also ensured that efforts to address perennial economic instability, religious extremism and the precarious security situation remain perilously compromised as the far-reaching measures needed to counter these challenges require widespread public buy-in, and policies that only have a limited input from public representatives or are perceived as being imposed by non-democratic forces will prove to be not as effective, as they lack the essential legitimacy and public support needed for genuine and sustained impact.
In this context, PILDAT has rightly lambasted “lazy and damningly unimaginative taxation and budgets” that have done little to alleviate Pakistan’s economic woes.
In addition, the limits that are being placed on free speech and the right to espouse dissenting views, including in the digital space, through various legislations does not augur well for our democratic vitality.
The one bright spot in this bleak picture though is the increased political awareness among the populace, and as PILDAT notes, the younger generation especially has demonstrated improved political engagement, with the youth voter turnout surging to its highest level in history during the elections. This augurs well for the future suggesting a promising trend towards greater civic involvement and potential for positive change.
However, any meaningful progress will only be truly achievable if we first recognise and address the overarching ill afflicting our democracy, i.e., its constant subversion at the hands of powerful forces that do not have the constitutional right to do so, something that PILDAT has also emphasised.
This has been acknowledged at various times by all stakeholders, even by those responsible for the tampering. Given this, it is important to once and for all come to a decision about the course Pakistan takes going forward.
Are our state institutions willing to recognise that their overreach has hindered democratic governance?
And, more crucially, are they then willing to limit themselves to their constitutional roles? The answers to these vital questions will ultimately determine the trajectory of the nation’s democratic health.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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