A serious question that continues to boggle the minds of the people of Pakistan, even after six and a half decades of the country’s existence, is that is there democracy in Pakistan? The country has been under military rule for a little over three decades and almost three and a half decades of civilian rule. The military rule obviously cannot be categorised as democratic because it is universally termed, and very rightly so, as ‘dictatorship’. The fundamental reason why it is called dictatorship is that the rulers, under the military regime, come to power by overthrowing civilian governments which are elected to the parliaments through popular ballot. In spite of defining the two types of rules that have been in place in Pakistan, over the past sixty five years, the need to assess whether Pakistan has ever had true democracy is still legitimate.
To clearly understand what ‘democracy’ is all about one would have to know its definition. Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President of USA) defined democracy as ‘government of the people, by the people, for the people’. If we were to go by this definition, in literal terms, then, to some extent, yes we did have democracy in the country for a period of over three decades. Those who had come to power through ballot always claimed that they were elected to power by the people of this country. Naturally, therefore, the governments they formed, after being elected, were governments of the people. But the third part of the definition ‘for the people’ is the ‘grey area’ that leaves much to be desired. This, in fact, is the most important area where none of the so-called democratically elected governments have been able to make any significant contribution.
History stands testimony to the fact that successive democratically elected governments which came to power in this country always made tall claims of serving the masses and this country. The reality has, however, been totally different. In effect, their personal interests and the interest of their parties have always been very dear to them. They did everything for themselves but nothing for the people who elected and placed them in positions of authority. The so-called public representatives of this country became opulent by the day and amassed massive wealth, during their respective tenures, at the cost of the poverty-stricken masses of Pakistan.
Access of the poor of this country to even the basic amenities of life such as food, shelter, education and health, as guaranteed by the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, have been blatantly usurped by the rulers of this country over and over again. They have been left at the mercy of Allah. It has become immensely difficult for them to even have three square meals a day, what to speak of the other basic needs of life.
Time has come for the people of Pakistan to realise quickly that they have always been exploited by those in whom they blindly vested their trust. They must also realise that it is they who have the power to elect people to the helm to govern the country. Heavy responsibilities lie on their shoulders to elect the right people to power. Elections are round the corner. This is the time when people should exercise their power to elect their representatives judiciously and make conscious efforts not to repeat the past mistakes. If they do, I am afraid, they will be doomed forever.
