Daily Times

Democracy is the only form of government widely accepted worldwide. This is because democratic government is based on elected representatives and is run by them. The electorates have full authority to reject representatives who failed to perform in their last tenures during the next polls. The solution for all of Pakistan’s ills lies in the continuation of democracy. Democracy can be strong and immune to extra-legal takeovers when all politicians unite and get on the same page. The federating units of Pakistan are its four provinces and the harmony of all political parties therein is in the interest of the democratic set up of the country. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) introduced the term ‘reconciliation’ to the politics of Pakistan in 2008. The PPP fully implemented that term in its last federal government by making a grand alliance with almost all parties in the federal and provincial governments to smoothly sail the ferry of democracy. Apparently, for the sake of democracy, the PPP even gave part of the government to the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q), despite the fact that some of its leaders were once named in a letter by the late Benazir Bhutto holding them responsible, along with certain others, if she were murdered.

This term ‘reconciliation’ has left sweeping and positive effects on our fragile democracy. However, this time around, after elections, the PPP was only able to form a government in Sindh, though it has not abandoned its democracy-friendly ‘reconciliation’ policy. Since last year, it has repeatedly invited the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to join the Sindh government. The MQM declined the offer for a year because of its reservations on the establishment of the People’s Aman Committee of Lyari and the Sindh Local Government Ordinance. Fortunately, the MQM has finally accepted the PPP offer and has recently joined the Sindh government, despite still having some reservations, e.g. the target killings of its workers in Karachi. The MQM joining the Sindh government is a good gesture for the provincial government of Sindh and the electorate of Karachi. When the MQM was not part of the Sindh government last year, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar’s statements clearly threatened imposition of governor’s rule in Sindh if the law and order situation did not improve in Karachi and interior Sindh. The PPP-MQM alliance in the Sindh government will surely help ward off such threats.

There was dire need for political unity and harmony in Sindh. This has finally been achieved. Now there is a need for both the MQM and PPP to work in collaboration with each other for the strengthening of democracy and the prosperity of the people of Sindh. The province of Sindh has always been in the forefront in the annals of history for its landmark and unusual acts. It was Sindh that put up tough resistance to Arab invader Muhammad bin Qasim and British General Charles Napier. It was Sindh that first passed a resolution in its Assembly in 1938 for the independence of Pakistan, and it was a chief minister of Sindh who opposed the One-Unit Scheme and was deposed for his efforts. Sindh is a resource-rich province. Sadly, the capital of Sindh, Karachi, is a battleground for banned outfits and the interior of Sindh reflects a picture of failing infrastructure. A feeling of insecurity looms large in Karachi. The PPP and MQM’s Sindh government must have a meticulous and thorough strategy to take on terrorists in Karachi to restore peace there and take measures to improve infrastructure in rural Sindh. The PPP has majority seats from interior Sindh while the MQM holds sway in Karachi. The two parties have to do a lot to change the lot of the people of Sindh. However, both parties were in a coalition during the last PPP government too but delivered short of the expectations of the people of Sindh. This time, much is expected from the Sindh government because our democracy is stronger than during the previous democratic government’s tenure. Now the free media and independent judiciary will not allow a dictator to topple a democratic set up as easily as was done in the past; the Sindh government will have no excuses if it fails as utterly as it did the last time.

The deteriorating law and order situation, worsening energy crisis, and unsatisfactory functioning of education and health sectors are major challenges for the Sindh government and the real test of the PPP-MQM alliance. More importantly, the education and home ministries are in the hands of PPP ministers and, while health was given to an MQM minister, the energy sector is the provincial government’s domain. The PPP and MQM have been dominant in the politics of Sindh since 1988 and now much is incumbent on them in terms of performance. The computerisation of all the departments’ records and the establishment of online complaint websites with immediate redress mechanisms can play a pivotal role to change the bad conditions of Sindh. Let us hope for the best by leaving the rest to our elected representatives.

The writer is a blogger and freelance columnist