Daily Times

The beauty of democracy lies in the fact that ideally, it is supposed to be accommodating to diversity and adaptive to changing times. This is what makes it worth following as a model of governance across the globe.  Realistically however, implementing an ideal democracy is not as easy as holding general elections every few years. Although this shouldn’t discourage states from pursuing republican values. States must proactively pursue democratic values if true democracy is ever to be implemented.

We currently stand at a point in time when two civilian governments have consecutively completed a decade of parliamentary democracy in Pakistan. This is the first time this has ever happened. Therefore, now is the time to analyse the nature of democracy with respect to its essence. Though successful democratic transitions in the upcoming elections will strengthen Pakistan’s ability to adapt to change symbolically, much needs to be overhauled if democracy is have a lasting stint in this country.

It has turned out at the end of the first successful decade of parliamentary democracy that democracy in Pakistan has not only faced threats from those at the helm, as institutional clashes have gained pace in the wake of former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification, but also various vested political interests. Democracy in Pakistan has also faced strain from below, as a major chunk of its population, the youth, has become vocal on social media platforms with all those questions that have stifled true democracy from taking root in the country. For the better future of democracy in Pakistan, major stakeholders must transcend their vested institutional interests, while paying heed to the new dynamic emerging in Pakistan’s political system. The youth must also be involved, and they can start by pooling together on social media platforms against old, outdated paradigms.

Pakistan’s millennials are not content with the state of Pakistani society today. The age of the internet has exposed them to waves of modernity that have shaped their opinions on what a society ought to be like. However, they remain deprived of proper platforms through which they can shake up the system. Hence, most of their activism remains restricted to social media.

For the better future of democracy in Pakistan, major stakeholders must transcend their vested institutional interests, while paying heed to the new dynamic emerging in Pakistan’s political system

Recently, certain reflections by the disillusioned youth were seen on social media. The genesis of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) too took place on social media, after a young Pashtun named Naqeebullah Mehsud was killed in a fake encounter by the police. The PTM aims to raise its voice against the political alienation and oppression Pashtun’s have faced in the wake of the war on terror.

The PTM has been able to inflict a blow on the popular narrative surrounding the war on terror, making the voice of young Pashtun’s be heard loud and clear. Unfortunately, the movement was ignored by mainstream media and the government at large. Similarly, recently #wehatepatriarchy was trending on social media accounts from Balochistan. Thus, social media has become the Pakistani youth’s ideological battleground with the status quo.

The youth is presently Pakistan’s demographic dividend. Pakistan can hardly afford not to tap into its energy for its own good. Through its proactivity, the Pakistani youth know how to make themselves count in the existing political system in the face of no opportunity. It was observed in the face of PTM which turned out to be a collective youth voice against political alienation.

Democracy is not merely conducting elections every five years and passing on the same governmental structures to a new group of civilian leaders. Its essence needs to be based on being accommodative to the diversity and responsive to changes being demanded by the masses. Pakistan’s haphazard democratic trajectory can be attributed to the fact that democracy in Pakistan hasn’t been attentive to the people’s need and the support enjoyed by civilian leaders has been patchy at best. This is what makes them vulnerable to ‘interventions’ by other powerful institutions. Therefore, as long as the political elite does not become sensitive to issues faced by most Pakistani citizens, they will play second fiddle to other state institutions.

Inamullah Marwat is an MPhil scholar studying International Relations at Department of Political Science at University of the Punjab, Lahore. He can be reached at uinam39@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/ inamullah.marwat.56

Published in Daily Times, April 7^th 2018.