Daily Times

With a thousands of anti-government protestors loitering on the roads of federal capital, the vicious cycle has started, unfortunately, once again for Pakistan. Actually this cycle, that remains the main cause for country’s under-development, has continuously been running since Pakistan’s independence. While an uncertain political environment prevails in a country, nobody should expect the nation to develop, prosperor progress.

The mathematics of political instability is very simple. With an uncertain political environment, the level of investment drastically falls, inflation increases, speed of development process slows down and all indicators of economic growth start reverse counting. High rate of inflation leads towards uncertainty about future investments which further leads to more conservative planning of investments, which again in turn creates political turbulence. Inflation makes the exports of a country more expensive. Inflations also affects the political situation by reduces the efficiency of a country by restricting its exports. It is also disturbs the tax system. Thus economy becomes bad and in return adds up to threaten political stability. Investors leave the country because when a government falls, it is more likely for new regime to cancel all past projects, halt funds and stop support committed by previous government.

In a visible scenario where a government is not strong, the prospects for a political upheaval remain higher. Masses, compressed due to economic factors due to instability, show higher level of desire and motivation to involve themselves in anarchist and radical activities rather than creative and economically productive activities.But political stability is not only necessary for a good GDP or economic growth but is also a pre-condition for the nation-building. It is also imperative for social cohesion and supremacy of the law. Law and order is directly related to a stable political regime.

Instability in any country occurs due to the discord between different institutions; lack of pluralistic norms and resentments among different apparatus of the society.Shortly after the independence Pakistan started to experience disruptive factors that never allowed the political stability to settle in. After independence, the founding fathers of country generally agreed that Pakistan would be an Islamic state; but there was no agreement as to the meaning of the term “Islamic State”. Religious clerics,who unsuitably had a political role,wanted Pakistan to become a complete Islamic state; a complete theocratic state with not much space for non-Muslim minorities.On the other hand, Pakistan’s progressive literati were in favor of a multi-cultural, multi-ethic and a pluralistic staten urtured on the standards of democracy wherein the citizens regardless of their religion or dogma would enjoy equal status and rights. This difference of opinion could not be resolved until this day.

There were many other issues that followed this. Induction of one unit concept in 1956, introduction of 1962 constitution by a dictator, frequent constitutional amendments by civilian chief marshal law administrator and an oppressive regime under another dictator who controlled the country more than a decade, the scrimmage remained within the institutions and political factions. Another issue was the sharing of powers between the federal and the provincial governments. Conflicts developed between central and provincial governments time and again. Thus from military interventions to political deinstitutionalization, from displaced leadership to dynastical politics and from secessionist movements to sectarian strife, Pakistan had to face host of issues that never allowed a smooth discourse for politics and democracy.

In Pakistan, the process of becoming a leader never starts from bottom but begins from the top

It is believed that Pakistan for a long time has been under dictatorship which is blamed a great deal for political instability. However when the country was allowed to experiment with free democracy, heredity family politics interfered with nation’s aspirations. In Pakistan,the process of becoming a leader never starts from bottom but begins from the top. When there was no military dictator to interfere, the civilian leaders belonging to few selective families became the dictators. Unfortunately in Pakistan, when the cat of dictatorship went away, the politically elected mouse became the cat which tried to tear other mice to shreds through a system guided political victimization. Normally the excuse presented by the elected cat was in the name of accountability.

Thus even the democracy could not work to assure political stability in Pakistan. For most part of Pakistan’s history, political leadership and dictators also worked together through compromise, give and take and consultations. To be honest, every dictator was supported by some political party which considered the other parties as rivals.The dictatorial political set up destroyed the fabric of political parties and gave birth to trend of forming political alliances. These alliances were never not aimed at revival of democracy or assuring political stability but their prime motive was just to share power. Slowly and gradually ethnic parties rose to prominence. Religious parties also contested for political relevance at the same time. Religion, sect or ethnicity to raise the public sentiments and then exploit them for their own purposes. Since religion has remained a sensitive issue in our culture so most of the leaders involved religion in political matters. These small yet politically relevant parties joined who so ever offered them a good share in power. But they left creating a political crises whenever the opposition lured them with even better incentives. Thus forming coalitions amongst different political parties, became one of the reasons for instable conditions since these coalitions were considered as a mere temporary arrangement.

Pakistan seriously needs a stable government and without it nothing would ever work for the country. This stability will never come through long marches and “dharnas” but could be achieved through limiting each and every institution to the sovereign constitution of the country, by strongly resisting to undemocratic regimes and promoting an intellectual and conscientious populace that under stands the value of democracy.

The writer is a versatile analyst and a speaker on contemporary issues