- Democratic or mob ruled?
This world has seen various movements, most of which didn’t diffuse and materialised into historical progressions of society. Whether or not the recent religious manifestations in Pakistan make the cut is another debate; but one thing is certain that these movements serve political purpose more than anything else.
The Pakistani society has come a long way in terms of modernisation. The wheel of democracy has firmly started to roll and the benefits are felt throughout the country. However, these effects are only felt by a very few people, very few who understand how the government machinery works.
For most, the differences between a state and government, federalist and decentralised systems, establishment and political participation are muddled. This insufficient knowledge is a by-product of decades-long radical politicisation with simultaneous dictatorships and Islamisation. The years have gone by and no proper system has taken place. This has engendered practices that can be termed as exploiting the freedoms ensured by a democratic society and surpassing the values of an ideal religious society.
The most recent vulgar use of these freedoms can be seen in the Faizabad protest that paralysed all entry points to the capital of Pakistan for three weeks. The protest was arranged by a group that has only recently formalised itself in a political party, gained instant momentum in the weeks and occupied the state, establishment and the general public.
While the situation escalated too quickly and was mishandled by all three tiers of the country, it has highlighted one very important thing: In Pakistan religious sentiments still remain very strong. While it may seem that with the modernisation people would be more inclined towards a somewhat secular mode of political mobilisation, however, we remain still far from it.
With constant changes in modes of governance and the failure of our society to take one particular direction in matters of governance has left us wondering still; which system do we really need. As a society we have been unable to come up with a comprehensive system that could work well for everyone and in the absence of any solace, our society’s obsession with religion’s role in politics has only grown. The problem with using religion in politics doesn’t end here.
The Pakistani society has come a long way in terms of modernisation. The wheel of democracy has firmly started to roll and the benefits are felt throughout the country
Much like Aristotle’s thesis that details on how political figures need religious validation by clergy to remain in power, Islam has been used very carefully as an instrumental tool in politicisation, very little in nation building. With the impartial use of religion, solely for political gains, religion has ushered in a new wave of rightist politics, a series of undogmatic practices that have left the populous confused and wary of the true teachings of the religion. The religion is both a sensitive issue that needs to be adequately addressed, a force of mobilisation and common denominator amongst many people aspiring to be influential in this society.
As Karl Marx would say, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people”, for millions of Pakistanis who are truly vested in religion and not in society, find this as the best aid to gain influence here. What then ensues are endless controversies, out of which a narrative of choice has to be made-Qadri’s murder or martyrdom? Rights of minorities or rule of majority in religion? Religion as a tool for political mobilisation or a tool for societal development?
In the absence of any concrete distinction and choice taken for replication, our government gives in to the ‘religious pressure’ sooner than any ‘pseudo-liberal pressure’ or demands for political reformation.
For this very reason, the state is easily held hostage and because we have been unable to institutionalise religion, such groups always end up propagating pressure politics, a feature which democratic system inhibits.
In the recent protest the government tried its hand at ‘no action is also action’ tactic but this proved to be the most disastrous and in the end the government had to use force. The use of force was also divided and further highlighted how agencies of the state that had always been politicised to curb such issues before, stayed away.
While certain revelations in media have concluded that the army in fact ignited this propaganda, it needs to be noted here that this blame game needs to stop. We need to understand carefully that there’s always some underlying sentiment that gets manipulated and exploited. In the case of Pakistan the radicalisation and politicisation of religion has done more harm than good as it still remains as the strongest sentiment amongst masses.
It is this religious sentiment, which is triggered when a group of protestors in one city are engaged with force that various groups emerge all over the country, threatening the writ of the state. Even with a total shut down of media houses, suspension of internet and mobile services, the protestors couldn’t be put down and eventually the government had to give in to the demands of this mob. Conversely, the mob rule prevailed.
We need to understand that religion is and will always be the reason why this separate homeland was created and thus remain as a force of mobilisation for any means necessary. A solution lies in institutionalising the religion but in the face of 70 years of politicisation, 20 years of globalisation and decades more of a bad economy, we are still far from it.
