Daily Times

Will our dream of democracy ever be realised? With one free and fair election in 1970 and the only real assembly in 70 years, the democratic track record of Pakistan is pathetic. It is true that this very exercise caused the dismemberment of Quaid’s Pakistan. The khaki leadership of the time was unable to harness the dynamics of democracy. Since then a unique concept has been developed by the establishment. Zia termed it ‘positive results’. Instead of the voters, the counters decided the fate of the election and determined the will of the people as directed. Musharraf went a step further, he claimed that the silent majority that did not protest supported him.

Mainly because of the ‘anti Bhutto phobia’ the performance of the only truly elected 1970 house is never discussed nor highlighted. The unanimously enacted 1973 Constitution formulated by these legislators has weathered several storms and unilateral, unholy amendments. Perhaps the federation continues to survive because of this sacred document. No democratic state can survive without a constitution and rule of law. Compliance is mandatory before any modifications are considered in this document.

Parliament is considered supreme in a parliamentary democracy. There is debate, discussion and dissent. Since 1985 most houses have been dumb. Majority of the members never utter a word. Quorum is always a problem. The parliamentarians work for their own interests. Recently, they approved hefty salary increases for themselves. The Prime Minister and his cabinet members are usually absent.

Without credible ballot there can be no democracy. It is indeed strange that everyone talks about strengthening the democratic order but no one seems interested in electoral reforms to strengthen the rule of the ballot. No institution in the country is willing to defend the constitution while everyone in authority is required to take an oath to protect and follow it. Though the passing out cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) earn their commission under this oath to which they are not exposed during their stay in the academy.

One view is that the electoral process should be allowed to work un-interrupted to attain self correction. The Charter of Democracy (COD) was signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to stall khaki rule in which they have been successful but other important elements that cover accountability, neutral bureaucracy and judiciary have been totally ignored. Corrective mechanisms only kick in if the direction is correct otherwise it proves to be a self defeating approach.

When the students forced the first free and fair elections in 1970 we thought our job was done. Rule of ballot was there to stay. But the very first electoral exercise in 1977 under the 1973 constitution was disputed. The Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) movement was formed on one point agenda to get rid of the Prime Minister. It provided an opportunity to Zia-ul-Haq to take over. I had the opportunity of meeting General Muhammad Sharif the first Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee. As he was a professional solider and a man of principles, I asked him a direct question as to why he supported the martial law in July 1977. According to him, he was unwilling to support the take over and called Zia to his office and urged him to return back to the barracks. Zia promised to hold elections within ninety days as required by the constitution and then withdraw and requested General Sharif to continue. When the elections were called off General Sharif went home.

The Khakis played an important role in ensuring free and fair elections in 1970, which has not happened after that. Since then, ten electoral exercises have been manipulated. Today only the khakis have the muscle to ensure a credible ballot, otherwise no one can stand up to the hegemony of PML (N) in Punjab and MQM in Karachi. Those who landed in the corridors of power riding on khaki jeeps seldom leave by the ballot. In recent history only the Sandinistas in Nicaragua came through the bullet but went away by the vote.

Mian Sahib closely follows the approach of his mentor Zia-ul-Haq. It is termed as ‘positive results’. Those who control the ballot decide the result of the elections. Voters just stand in line to cast their vote, but their mandate has been manipulated ten times. Our dream of democracy remains un-realised, the power of the ballot is on the decline. Elections in 2018 are vital for the future of democracy in the country. With his control of the administrative machinery Mian Sahib’s victory is ensured.

For the will of the people to prevail in 2018 as it did in 1970 the entire electoral process has to be conducted by neutral players. Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), NADRA, returning officers, who come from civil administration of the provinces, cannot be relied upon. Khakis remain the only functional institution and so elections should be conducted under their control with returning officers from other provinces, who are not under the administrative control of the local administration. NADRA, the custodian of electoral rolls, has serious problems that have gone un-noticed. It has to be brought under the ambit of strong professional leadership that can guard its autonomy.

Both the major parties in the parliament (PML-N, PPP) seem to be totally disinterested in any electoral reforms as the system continues to serve their purposes. The khakis after launching the political rogues that dominate us today seem to be neutral with hands off approach while roguery continues unabated. The retiring Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has rightly pointed out three major areas that have to be addressed: corruption, terrorism and the Kashmir dispute. A corrupted electoral exercise bring can only rogue political players into the parliament who then continue with their roguery. The agencies have collected tons of data on blatant corruption, with the recent LNG purchases being one of them. Nothing came out of the Dawn leaks, may be it is time to make public the information included in the dossiers of the agencies. Elected Bodies Disqualification Ordinance (EBDO) was unnecessary in 1958 as most politicians were honest, however it is the need of the hour today. We the members of the first generation of Pakistan forced the first and only free and fair elections in 1970. The challenge for us is to repeat another credible ballot before our time is over.

Writer is: Ex-chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation, can be reach at mail: fmaliks@hotmail.com