democracy report final editing

7/31/2019 Democracy Report Final Editing

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Democracy in Pakistan

Democracy:-

Democracy is a form of government in which power is held by people under a free

electoral system. It is derived from the Greek [ dimokratia ] "popular

government" which was coined from (dmos), "people" and (kratos), "rule,

strength".

In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government

and also apolitical philosophy. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of

'democracy', there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes. The first

principle is that all members of the society have equal access to power and the second that

all members enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties. An essential process in

representative democracies are competitive elections, that are fair both substantively and

procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom

of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal

interests. Popular sovereignty is common but not a universal motivating philosophy for

establishing a democracy. In some countries, democracy is based on the philosophical

principle of equal rights. Many people use the term "democracy" as shorthand forliberal

democracy, which may include additional elements such as political pluralism, equality

before the law, the right to petition elected officials for redress of grievances, due process,

civil liberties, human rights, and elements ofcivil society outside the government. Though

the term "democracy" is typically used in the context of a political state, the principles are

also applicable to private organizations and other groups.(1)

Types of Democracy:-

There are several varieties of democracy some of which provide better representation and

more freedoms for their citizens than others. However, if any democracy is not carefully

legislated to avoid an uneven distribution of political power with balances such as the
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separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule is able to accumulate power in a

way that is harmful to democracy itself. Some types are given below:-

Direct Democracy:-

Direct democracy, classically termed pure democracy, comprises a form ofdemocracy and

theory ofcivics wherein sovereignty is lodged in the assembly of all citizens who choose to

participate. Depending on the particular system, this assembly might pass executive

motions, make laws, elect and dismiss officials and conduct trials. Direct democracy stands

in contrast to representative democracy, where sovereignty is exercised by a subset of the

people, usually on the basis of election.(2)

Democratic Dictatorship:-

In Mao Zedong's China democratic dictatorship was where democracy was to extended to

the people, and dictatorial methods were applied to those excluded from the ranks of the

people'. The people were the members of the four social classes; the working class, the

peasantry, thepetty bourgeois and the national bourgeois. According to Mao, the people

were to enjoy freedom of speech, assembly, and association, they were to have the right to

vote and elect their own government which was to exercise the dictatorial methods over the

excluded masses. (3)

Economic Democracy:-

Economic Democracy is a socioeconomicphilosophy that suggests transfer of decision

making authority from a small minority ofcorporate shareholders to the larger majority of

public stakeholders. While there is no single definition or approach, all theories and real-world examples of Economic Democracy are based on a core set of fundamental

assumptions.(4)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereigntyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedonghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_classhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petty_bourgeoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholdershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereigntyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedonghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_classhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peasanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petty_bourgeoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeoishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholdershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_theory


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Illiberal Democracy:-

An illiberal democracy is a governing system in which although fairly free elections take

place, citizens are cut off from real power due to the lack ofcivil liberties. This may be

because a constitution limiting government powers exists but its liberties are ignored, or to

the simple absence of an adequate legal constitutional framework of liberties. Illiberal

democratic governments may believe they have a mandate to act in any way they see fit as

long as they hold regular elections. One proposed method of determining whether a regime

is an illiberal democracy is by determining whether "it has regular, free, fair, and

competitive elections to fill the principal positions of power in the country, but it does not

qualify as Free in Freedom House's annual ratings of civil liberties and political rights".(5)

Historical Background of Democracy in Pakistan:-

Pakistan has been under military governance for the majority of its 61 years of existence.

All five of the nations elected governments have been removed by the army, on each

occasion with the stated or implicit support of the president. On two of these occasions

(1993 and 1996) another civilian government was installed in its place, and in the

remaining three (1958, Ayub Khan; 1977, Zia-ul-Haq; 1999, Pervez Musharaf), military

leaders seized power for themselves outright. Further, of the three elected prime ministers

(Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto both served twice), one was executed (Z.A. Bhutto), and

the other two were exiled under threat of imprisonment if they return (Benazir Bhutto and

Nawaz Sharif).

After the election of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1988 to replace military ruler

Mohammad Zia-ul-Huq, after Zias death in a plane crash, observers believed that Pakistan

had entered a democratic phase of its political history, with the army having made atransition from the role of kingmaker to that of referee. Instability returned, however, in

August 1990 when President Ishaq Khan invoked a Zia-era constitutional amendment to

remove Bhutto from office. Nawaz Sharif became prime minister after elections held in

October 1990, with Sharif also being removed in 1993 under the same amendment. Bhutto

returned for three years before being dismissed by President Farooq Leghari for favoritism
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and corruption in November 1996. In generally free and fair parliamentary elections held in

February 1997, Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League won a substantial victory, and Sharif

moved in April 1997 to remove the controversial Eighth Amendment which allowed the

president to dismiss the government and appoint military chiefs and provincial governors.

Sharif further strengthened his position by replacing the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

and pressuring the resignation of President Leghari; he furthermore pressed the Lahore

High Court to convict Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari of corruption, with

a sentence of five years imprisonment, a fine of $8.6 million, and a disqualification from

public office.

Assuming power by takeover on October 12, 1999, Chief of Army Staff Pervez Musharraf

suspended Pakistans constitution of 1973 and assumed for himself the additional title ofChief Executive. He appointed a National Security Council of eight members to serve as

Pakistans supreme authority. On May 12, 2000, the Supreme Court unanimously declared

the coup valid and granted Musharraf executive and legislative authority through October

2002. On June 20, 2001, he named himself president to replace Mohammad Rafiq Tarar.(6)

PAKISTAN, A DEMOCRATIC STATE:-

Pakistan is a democratic state but only by name. Mostly it has been ruled over by military

dictators, the force that was set to defend the borders of the country. Thus by betraying its

responsibilities, it has not only damaged political institution, but we have lost places of

strategic importance such as part of Siyahcheen and Kargil. Military men have always been

involved in politics since the very first day of independence and that is why we see political

instability in Pakistan. Even in the life time of its founder, our politicians were anxiously

waiting for his death so as they may have a chance to govern the country for their selfish

end. Constitution made and unmade during the history of Pakistan. Unfortunately we

waited for our first constitution to be made and implemented in the country for nine years,

and that constitution worked for two and a half years only. General Ayub was the first

dictator who pushed the constitution behind and ruled the country for eleven years without

any constitution. When his regime failed badly, he handed the government over to another

military dictator and in the meantime our beloved country disintegrated and East Pakistan


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became Bangladesh. General Zia-ul-Haq came in power in 1976 and gave rise to

talibanization and kalashenkove culture in the country. Because of this culture, we are

suffering from bomb blasts in cities and civil militancy in rural areas like Swat and FATA.

Though abrogation of constitution results in capital punishment, but here in Pakistan no

body was hung. Many times, constitutions were treated as trash and abrogated in the

presence of our political leaders, but no body lamented them. On the contrary they have

strengthened the law breakers and are doing the same practice at present. Thus this country

without constitution runs only by the grace of God. Otherwise, it would have ceased to run

decades before.

Reasons of Democracy Always Failed in Pakistan:-

Why has democracy always failed in Pakistan? India and Bangladesh, which sharing a

number of cultural and demographic traits with Pakistan, have enjoyed a number of

subsequent democratic governments chosen through free and fair elections. A Pakistani

democracy NGO named Pildat suggests four explanations:-

Insufficient assertiveness by legislators: - The elected representatives were by

and large not aware of their rights and responsibilities and no effective system was

evolved to make these representatives aware of their responsibilities.

Cultivation of democratic elites disrupted by military governance: - During

the periods of military rule, the political process which on its own momentum develops

new leadership in the country came to a halt. Whenever democracy was restored, the

process did not continue long enough to allow new leadership to emerge.

Alienation and disengagement of educated middle classes from politics: -

The educated classes mostly from the middle class remained largely unconcerned about

the political process. They were either ignored or got disillusioned because they saw noprospects for them in the process. The political activity remained largely confined to

the moneyed class or the street toughs. The educated middle class, professionals,

scholars, minorities and women need to be encouraged to join the political process

more actively.
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Lack of active citizenry exercising accountability: - There had been no

initiative taken by the citizens to monitor the performance of the elected representatives

and elected bodies and to hold them accountable to their voters on the basis of their

track record.(7)

The Future of Democracy in Pakistan:-

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah told his fellow members of the Muslim League on

9th June 1947 I do not know what the ultimate shape of the constitution is going to be,

but I am sure it will be a democratic type, embodying the essential principles of Islam he

added democracy is in our blood, it is in our marrow. Only centuries of adverse

circumstances have made the circulation of that blood cold Islam and its ideals havetaught us democracy it has taught us equality of man, justice and fair play to everybody.

It can be safely assumed that on that day in the founding year of Pakistan the two

philosophies outlined by the founder as the basis of any future government in Pakistan

were Islam and democracy. Both have in a sense floundered at the hands of their keepers.

Islam exploited shamelessly by those that imagine to be its defenders has divided instead of

uniting the nation and democracy has been reduced to a sham by those that never tire to

declare themselves as its champions. For the future of democracy in Pakistan there must be

solid foundations laid in the past. This has not happened and the fault is not entirely with

the politicians.

Judging what the people of Pakistan "really want" is a tough job. So what about the future?

I find little hope for democracy in the future. We just do not have a democratic culture in

the country. Political parties are not really political parties because their leaders prefer to

draw their strength from the establishment instead of the masses. Another element that has

destroyed any hope for future of democracy in Pakistan is the injection of violence in

politics. With guns blazing and tolerance at zero level there is no room for democratic

difference of opinion. It is not uncommon in democracy for senior leaders to have differing

opinion on political issues. We have now come to a stage where such difference of opinion

usually earns you a place in a guinea bag. In these circumstances what hope for


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democracy? Always an optimist I still se a glimmer of hope if steps are taken to really

restore democracy and not inflict more home made recipes on this country. A good starting

point of reforms for the present government would be to give a dead line to all parties to

hold party elections within a specified period. Supervised by neutral observers this could be

a breath of fresh air for democracy in Pakistan. Well organized parties with duly elected

party officials would lay the foundations of true democracy. A nation suffering from the

negligence of its recent rulers will certainly welcome such a move. True recruitment of

people and building of institutions razed to the ground by successive governments can be

another step towards restoring democracy in the country. The Judiciary which is the corner

stone of any democracy needs to be truly independent and if the rulers are sincere they

would free the judiciary of all seen and unseen restrictions. Revival of true trade unions in

all fields of life is another step that can ensure the future of democracy and give voice to

the true feelings of the people. For all those with different recipes of democracy and their

supporters I can only say that democracy is a product of the wishes of the people and not

the of the desires of the best few. It evolves by itself and true democracy like a truly

beautiful tree takes many decades to grow and spread out its branches to provide shade to

the people. There are no short cuts no matter how pressing the need. Patience is another

name for democracy. If only the establishment could have demonstrated this quality we

would not be the outcast in a democratic world at the turn of the century. (8)


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References:-

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

Date: - Jan 04 09; Time: - 2:00pm(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy

Date: - Jan 06 09; Time: -1:00am(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_dictatorship

Date: - Jan 06 09; Time: -12:50am(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_democracy

Date: - Jan 06 09; Time: -12:45am(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illiberal_democracy

Date: - Jan 06 09; Time: -1:15 am(6) http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/004937.php

Date: - Jan 05 09; Time: -12:56am

(7) http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/004937.phpDate: - Jan 05 09; Time: -1:00am

(8) http://www.storyofpakistan.com/contribute.asp?artid=C001&Pg=1,3Date: -Jan 08 09; Time: - 9:00pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_dictatorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_dictatorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illiberal_democracyhttp://www.windsofchange.net/archives/004937.phphttp://www.windsofchange.net/archives/004937.phphttp://www.storyofpakistan.com/contribute.asp?artid=C001&Pg=1,3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_dictatorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_democracyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illiberal_democracyhttp://www.windsofchange.net/archives/004937.phphttp://www.windsofchange.net/archives/004937.phphttp://www.storyofpakistan.com/contribute.asp?artid=C001&Pg=1,3

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