Daily Times

July 5, 1977 was one of the darkest nights in Pakistan’s history. On that date, 41 years ago, the country was under the grip of its worst military dictatorship ever, headed by the ruthless General Zia-ul-Haq. Not only did he subvert the constitution; he also murdered Pakistan’s most popular and meaningful leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and pushed the country into a fratricidal conflict that continues to this day. He destroyed everything that was painstakingly built by Bhutto, in order to implement our Quaid’s vision of a secular and democratic Pakistan that can be a role model for the entire Muslim world. He abused Islam for his perverted ambitions and introduced a culture of hatred and intolerance that remains an albatross around the nation’s neck, with hordes of bigoted vultures out there to devour what is left.

General Zia purposely converted Quaid’s idea of a social welfare state founded on the sound lines of egalitarianism, into a security state with the veneer of theocratic armoury. Since he had no legitimacy or public support, he used the Wahabi/Salafi religious elements as his Knights Templar — even utilizing them as part of the American Jihad against the former Soviet Union. Backed to the hilt by Uncle Sam and aided by American dollars, he oppressed the people of Pakistan, depriving them of their fundamental rights and imposing detrimental policies like non-party elections.

He was an enemy of free expression and public liberties, and under his rule the country’s media was censored, with journalists incarcerated and whipped in public in order to silence voices of dissent. He further added to his dreaded reputation by hanging political and human rights activists; however he reserved a special contempt for the members and supporters of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Had it not been for the unprecedented valour of both Begum Nusrat Bhutto, and the martyred Benazir Bhutto, who dared to stand up to the oppression, intimidation and incarceration that was thrown at them by Zia, Pakistan might have been in an even worse position today. They led the Movement for Democracy to weaken his stranglehold on power, even when faced with unbearable obstacles, and now politicians like Mian Nawaz Sharif, who originally came to power under the tutelage of a dictator but are now pretending to be ‘born again’ democrats, have their strength to thank for the progress of democracy in Pakistan today.

Notwithstanding the subpar performance of our recent civilian governments and the plethora of corruption charges against the leaders, the desire for democracy still burns strong in our masses

Elections after Zia’ demise provided Benazir Bhutto the opportunity to come to power, but she was again denied her full rights as the leader of a nation by the designs of General Hameed Gul, which were repeated once again in 1990 and eventually culminated in her assassination almost twenty years later. Though anti-democratic forces, spearheaded by a military dictator, had Benazir Bhutto eliminated, her sacrifice in blood heralded the rebirth of a democratic Pakistan in 2008, forcing the dictator to run for his life soon after. One would agree with the analyst Akbar Zaidi, who believes that the decade following 2008 was “perhaps the most democratic era in Pakistan’s not-so-impressive, short, democratic history.”

Notwithstanding the subpar performance of our recent civilian governments and the plethora of corruption charges against the leaders, the desire for democracy still burns strong in our masses. This is despite the efforts of the judicial and Praetorian bureaucracy to impede the democratic process, in order to influence the results of the upcoming general elections.

The result of this support for a democratic system has been desperation and panic, in the ranks of the people in power. This has led to curbs on the media, restrictions on the free dissemination of news and particular views, indiscriminate arrests of human rights activists, burglary in the house of Marvi Sirmad, kidnapping of Gul Bukhari, the beating of journalists and the lengthening list of missing persons; these are all a reminder that marching boots might follow next. The best answer to such a threat is ensuring that the maximum numbers of people take part in the upcoming elections, and that they vote for relatively honest candidates belonging to political parties with a comprehensive mandate for the development of our country, with no room for sectarianism or religious intolerance.

The writer is the former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK and a veteran journalist

Published in Daily Times, July 5^th 2018.