Daily Times

Hopefully by the time this column is printed we would have gone through the motions of the election process. If this is indeed the case then no matter what the result, one can safely say that Pakistan has won.

First and foremost, we as a nation have shown our resolve that we believe in participatory democracy and constitutional process. The fact that in the coming days we shall have a peaceful and constitutional transfer of power through the ballot says a lot about how far we have come from the dark days of dictatorship in 2007. Inevitably, this very fact in of itself will raise the stature of Pakistan in the comity of nations. Here is a Muslim majority nation that in the heyday of terror and so-called clash of civilisations has managed to usher in a new government through constitutional means, against all odds and threats. This is no mean achievement. Let us, who were allowed to vote and voted, pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. We deserve it.

That said let us also take stock of the situation and see that this democratic transition also translates into good and effective governance. To do this we have certain monumental and structural challenges that we must meet resolutely as a nation. The foremost challenge is the challenge of religious extremism. Religious extremism is a poison that is eating our nation from inside, and in doing so significantly harming the material progress of this republic’s citizens. No amount of prevarication will do now. The problem fundamentally lies in this idea that a citizen’s allegiance to his or her own interpretation of religion is superior to his duties as a responsible and law abiding citizen. The state has to now step in and enforce its writ throughout and at every level of society. This means our politicians ought to now need to rethink what is good for the country and not just what is expedient for them.

All party manifestoes — with a very few exceptions of those fringe extreme right-wing parties — have emphasised the need for national integration and equality for citizens of Pakistan regardless of what their faith is. This is a principled position that needs to be followed through and not just in words but by deeds. It also means undoing the grave injustices done to groups like the Ahmadis who have been marginalised and who were forced once again to boycott these elections because of the most ridiculous form of discrimination by the Election Commission of Pakistan whereby all non-Ahmadi Pakistanis (including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians) would be listed on a general electoral list and Ahmadis alone would be listed on a non-Muslim list. This, in the presence of joint electorate, is a shameful practice and violates every fundamental right guaranteed to citizens of Pakistan. Secondly, with respect to Shias i.e. the second largest sect in Pakistan, more needs to be done to bring to justice groups like the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who attack Shias and kill and maim them. Whoever comes to power in the next few days must do all he or she can to help restore the confidence of Shia community in general and Hazara Shias in particular.

Similarly, a constructive dialogue must begin in Balochistan to help ensure that legitimate Baloch nationalist demands are accommodated within the federalism of Pakistan. You cannot go on killing your own people. If you cannot do that then you are not worth the power that has been entrusted with.

On the social front, education by any and all means, should be the top priority of our new government. Indeed if we do not focus on high quality modern education for all now, we will be in very serious trouble. The key element in this education must be an emphasis on modern technological tools like YouTube, which we have banned to the detriment of our people. In the age of online education, we have deprived our people of the chance to educate themselves through the help of this most important tool available to our generation. Sooner or later the incoming government will have to show political will on taking a stand on this issue and not bowing down to the religious orthodoxy whose sentiments we may respect but whose posturing has always hurt us.

This first very important transfer of power through democratic means is not the panacea of all ills. However, one hopes that it will create the necessary impetus and a more level playing field for further improvement. The civil society organisations now must take up their role as a check on government through solid activism in the courts, on the media and in the streets whenever and wherever the incoming government wavers or is duplicitous in its adherence to the mandate it has received. We must criticise the incoming government fairly, honestly and without fear but let us also make pledge that we shall under no circumstances, no matter what our grievances with the incumbent, allow the system to be derailed again. If we complete another five-year cycle, we shall see great things happen and we too shall stand tall with other peoples of the world.

Now it is up to us to jealously guard our democracy and our freedom. Let us not be found wanting.

Pakistan Zindabad.

The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore and the author of the book Jinnah: Myth and Reality. He can be contacted via twitter @therealylh and through his email address yasser.hamdani@gmail.com