Daily Times

These days, street politics is in vogue in Pakistan. Big and small political parties are resorting to mass demonstrations against the elected democratic government. The people who lead street politics now never even once took to the streets against a dictator. In a democratic setup, there is hardly any room for street politics in the presence of an independent judiciary and a strong media. A political party can take its case of any perceived grievance or injustice to the judiciary or, finally, the media with concrete evidence to get results and justice in a peaceful manner, rather than resort to street politics. In 1977, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was accused of massive rigging by an alliance of the rightist parties under the banner of the Pakistan National Alliance. The latter took to the streets after refusing to accept the victory of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s party, the PPP. Street demonstrations paved the way for the dictator Ziaul Haq to topple the democratic government, depose, jail and finally hang Bhutto. Mass demonstrations are not even fruitful for those who lead them. Democracy is indirectly undermined by such demonstrations. The right platform for lawmakers to resolve disputed issues is parliament. Lawmakers have every power inside the assembly so the streets and the common man are of no help to them.
Pakistan needs no revolution but it badly needs some reforms in the electoral system. Those who stake a claim to peaceful revolution through street politics must look into the disastrous aftermath of such a so-called revolution in Egypt. There is now dictatorial rule in Egypt. The courts pass ‘scripted’ execution verdicts against Morsi supporters who once led anti-Hosni Mubarak protests. Pakistan is a multicultural country with many political parties. No revolution is needed in Pakistan in the presence of a democratic government. If mass protests continue, while a peaceful revolution may not be possible, the derailment of democracy and imposition of a dictatorial rule could be likely. There has been dictatorial rule in Pakistan over half of the country’s life. Electoral reforms must be demanded on the floor of the National Assembly, under the eyes of an independent judiciary and the media.
The main disputed point being highlighted during the mass demonstrations was the purportedly flawed electoral system that led to allegations of massive rigging in last May’s polls. It is an open secret that somehow rigging has been a part of every Pakistani election. The fact is, powerless local teachers who act as presiding officers cannot prevent rigging. The corruption-prone majority of lower judiciary judges who act as returning officers do not want to prevent rigging. And the unavailability in Pakistan of the globally used biometric voting system adds to the possibility of easy rigging in the polls.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari rightly said: “Parliament is the right place for electoral reforms.” The PPP is the only party that has always resorted to street politics only against dictators and their dictatorial rule. It never ever led mass demonstrations against an elected government. It has always struggled and sacrificed for the restoration of democracy, and it is well aware of the fact that mass agitation has always invited dictators to topple democratic governments. The PPP’s mature approach and sanity is required to strengthen democracy in the country.
There is no denying the fact that Pakistan is now struggling with the polio and energy crises, terrorism and many other problems, but one should admit that only the continuation of democracy can one day rid Pakistan of all its problems and crises. It is a bitter reality that mass demonstrations cannot resolve even a single issue in the country. However, in the guise of fighting for the rights of the public, the majority of the demonstrating political parties have their own ulterior motives. This country needs mass awareness about the hazards of polio campaigns rather than mass demonstrations about it. The demonstrating political and religious parties must also carry out their own accountability process to learn about their role in why polio drops were not administered. There were references made to the Arab world during the mass demonstrations and the regime changes there. One has to be clear that the mass demonstrations in the Middle East were against rulers who had ruled as kings for decades and in countries where there was no democracy.
Moreover, regime changes were not peaceful there. Pakistan is a democratic country. It needs no mass agitation. What must be understood is that it is certain that ultimately the road of frequent and long mass demonstrations will lead to the door of a dictator. Peaceful demonstrations on the streets are the prerogative of and the democratic right of the common masses who have no direct voice in the provincial and National Assembly, and want to convey their voice to the elected representatives. However, those elected representatives who are already in the supreme institution of the country, parliament, have the space to voice their discontent. Who do they want to send their voice to through street protests? Street politics against the elected democratic setup only mean the possible undermining of democracy and the strengthening of hidden hands that aim inevitably to derail the democratic government

The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be contacted
at inayatullah_rustamani@yahoo.com