Daily Times

Perhaps Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has proven to be the most potent threat against democracy to date. His entrenched, deadly fangs in the civil administration of Punjab are now an important component of Takht-e-Lahore. Even his designers and creators are now feeling the heat of their past blunder. Some lessons must be learnt to avoid such misadventures in the future. Pakistan has a long history of conspiracies against the democratic order. Nations must learn from their past to correct their future course.

The chain of conspiracies against the new state started with the murder of the first prime minister (PM) Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951. Ghulam Muhammad (Gamma) managed to become the third governor general (GG), replacing Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din the stalwart of the Pakistan Movement. The second attack was launched in 1953 when the elected assembly was dissolved. In the next cabinet Ayub Khan was included as a minister while still in uniform.

The battle lines were now clearly drawn, with forces of democracy and colonial status-quo face to face. In October 1958, nation building came to a grinding halt. Fruits of the first decade of democracy were channelled to a few families to create empires. Till 1968, the population was divided between have and have nots. So severe was the divide that people were forced to take to the streets, and by March 1969, the usurper had to step down to be replaced by another general who promised free and fair elections mainly to pacify the Eastern Wing. It was the first credible electoral exercise in the country.

The results of the election came as a big surprise for the establishment. Instead of a split mandate, two major parties emerged. Awami League in the East and People’s Party in West Pakistan prevailed at the ballot. By not transferring power to the elected representatives another conspiracy was hatched against democracy. As a result civil war started and Quaid’s Pakistan was dismembered. The 1973 Constitution stands out in our democratic struggle. It has weathered several storms and unholy encroachments by both Khaki and Civilian conspirators. Elections in 1977 were the first test of this consensual document but a conspiracy had been hatched to derail the democratic order. Despite protests and movements the derailment continues till today. Four decades have been lost (1977 to 2017) with another test around the corner in July 2018.

After the establishment Waterloo in the only free and fair elections of 1970, it was decided to engineer the entire electoral process. Ten national elections and two referendums have been manipulated under this approach for desired results. This conspiracy against democracy has been deadly and it has kept the country derailed. Political rogues manage to reach the parliament and then plunder our national wealth. Politics has become the most lucrative business with maximum return on investment unmatched by any other sector. It does not stop here. The influence is then spread in the entire administrative set up. Important government departments like law enforcement, revenue, and education have become extensions of the party in power.

The country is gearing up for another electoral contest in 2018. It can go either way, free or manipulated. If the interests of the nation are important then the elections should be like the ones held in 1946 and 1970

Real democracy can function only on its own merit; any manipulation in its progress destroys its very fabric. People of Pakistan have been denied their democratic rights to choose their own leaders with disastrous consequences. The legislature has become a den of corruption whose focus is to protect their ill-gotten wealth. The recent simplified election nomination form was a blatant display of this approach by all political parties. The big question then remains the same; who is working in the interests of the people?

The Jinnah-led Muslim League came into power through free and fair elections held in 1946, so did the Bhutto-led People’s Party in 1970. Despite all odds both, genuinely, elected leaders performed well, even though their time in office was relatively brief.

The country is gearing up for another electoral contest in 2018. It can go either way, free or manipulated. If the interests of the nation are important then the elections should be like the ones held in 1946 and 1970, otherwise, it would be more of the same. Corrupted ballot produces corrupt leadership that the nation has to endure.

Today the conspirators fear each other. The establishment is weary of the total control of Pakistan Muslim League — Noon (PML-N) over the administrative machinery of Punjab, while the Sharif’s fear the ‘Khalai Makhlooq’ that originally launched them in the eighties. Historically speaking, both threats to democracy are real and have to be addressed. Major bureaucratic overhaul is required both in Punjab and Sindh, with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) taking charge. Judiciary and Khakis should only ensure a level playing field without taking sides or manipulating the electoral process for so-called ‘Positive Results’. Conspiracies generate corruption, and only a credible ballot can result in genuine political leadership for which the people of Pakistan are the only real judges. Give them a chance and they will deliver.

The writer is former chairman Pakistan Science Foundation. Email: atfmaliks@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, July 8^th 2018.