democracy-paper-2.doc

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Conference Title:

Pakistan: Challenges t o Democracy, Governance and National Unity .

Paer Title:

Transition to Democracy in Pakistan: ! Comarison to "#sto$%s Thesis

&y Dr. '#ma &a(ai)

Democracy, which seemed to have triumphed in 1990s is experiencing intense

pressure from within and without after the events of 9/11 and the subsequent wars

that took pace in !fghanistan and "raq# $ecurity %haenges, &ar on 'error,

(conomic )ecession, the spring of *idde (ast have a had an impact on how

issues of democracy, governance and nationa unity are perceived today# "n

countries ike +akistan where the democratic deficit has aways remained high

because of various historica and contemporary issues the debate on democracy has

become more compicated#

*y paper is an attempt to compare the democratic deficit of +akistan to Dankwart

)ustow mode on transition to democracy# 'he deveoping countries even when

they are estabished practicing democracies face indigenous democratiation

chaenges which remain under represented and marginay discussed in the

poitica science community# Dankwart !exander )ustows mode on transition to

democracy iustrates a sequence of four phases or conditions which may be an

appicabe mode for democratic transition in the *idde (astern countries and the

strugging democracies of $outh !sia in genera and +akistan in particuar# 'hey

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are a feeing of -ationa .nity, a +roonged and "nconcusive +oitica $trugge,

the Decision phase and finay abituation#

"n +akistan, the custodians of democracy support and comprehend democracy at

the normative or conceptua eve# 'here are serious probems at the operationa

eve# 'he power structures, which are sti quite eitist in nature and governance

stye, remain authoritarian# 'he state machinery and expoitative socioeconomic

system become contributing factors# )ustow is highy critica of ipset,

!mond/2erba, and others who suggest that a consensus on civic cuture or eves

of economic deveopment 3ipset4 is prerequisites# "f anything, these are the resuts

of democracy, not its causes#

Dankwart argues that the moderniationists, such as ipset, asked a functiona

question5 what can enhance or preserve the heath of a democracy6 )ustow thought

the question of transition from authoritarianismwas a much more interesting one5

how does a democracy come into being in the first pace6

.sing 'urkeyand $wedenas his case studies, he sketched a genera route through

which countries trave during democratiation# 'his had four phases5

National unity: 'he formation of an uncontested sense of nationhood, what

ater was caed 7stateness, was a necessary precondition# 8efore peope coud

decide how to rue, there must be carity on who the peope are#

:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy


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A prolonged and inconclusive political struggle: 'his occurs differenty in

a countries, but is typicay centered on the emerging power of a new socia

force 3i#e# manufacturing eite4# Democracy is eventuay born of this confict# "t

is thus not a 7rosy ovein, but can be vioent and boody# 'his strugge can be

so intense as to ead to the dominance of one group and the cosing of doors to

democratiation# &hen this poitica strugge reaches staemate, a window of

opportunity opens up for democratiation#

Decision phase: &hen the conficting parties reaie that they are at a point

of staemate in their inconcusive poitica strugge they decide to compromise

and adopt democratic forms of rue# ;or )ustow, there is aways a conscious

decision on the part of eites to adopt democratic rues#

Habituation phase: 0s, schoars such as arry Diamond,

awrence &hitehead, and +hiip $chmitter expained transitions from

authoritarianism not in terms of socioeconomic or structura changes, but rather in

terms of consensus and pacts between eites# 'he impetus for change comes not

from internationa or socioeconomic changes, but from spits within a ruing

regime# )ustow is widey cited as the inteectua father of transitoogy# i

?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Diamondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Diamondhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitology


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"n +akistans context it is to come up with an uncontested notion of nationa unity

and the peope agree that they are a poitica entity, at east enough that there is no

seccessionary movements# 'his remains a chaenge for +akistan# 'he country

needs a true federa design that gives voice to voiceess and curtais the paradigm

of ma@oritarian democracy and is more incusive and representative in nature at a

eves# "t is aso unity without uniformity and diversity is appreciated and

acknowedged and is not viewed as a threat of fragmentation# &e a know unity

and diversity is highest attainment of the civiiation# ! testimony to the nobe

possibiities of human race achieved through an atmosphere of socia trust# 'his

wi not happen overnight and this is where the transition ies# 'he nation and the

state, the powers of status quo, the powers of change and probaby a the

stakehoders undergo a proonged and inconcusive poitica strugge ti they

reaie the importance of the unpeasant reaity of coexistence, accommodation

and reconciiation# 'hus resuting and centered on the emerging power of a new

socia force# 'his is foowed by the habituation phase of getting used to the norms

of true democracy, which is again an ongoing phase# 'he transition continuesA

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ihttp5//en#wikipedia#org/wiki/DankwartC)ustow

*Dr. Huma Baqai is an Associate Professor and Chairperson of Social Sciences Department at Institution of Business Administration, Karachi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dankwart_Rustowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dankwart_Rustow

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