It is said that democracy is based on the free will of the people. Democracy is not staged, and democracy is not something to be obtained from the lap of dictatorship. Democracy is not some sort of blissful paradise, and it’s not the cure of every ill, but it’s the best form of government, because it enables the people to choose and then suffer.
Pakistan, some sixty years ago, was created as a welfare state where everyone was supposed to enjoy equal opportunities, and where everyone was free to exercise his basic rights. When people from India were coming to Pakistan, while Hindus and Sikhs were murdering, raping, and plundering them, they didn’t know that they are going for emergencies, Martial Laws, and civilian shenanigans.
Civil society, lawyers, judges, and students became stunned in the 21st century, when they were deprived of their basic rights with just a signature and their protest dismissed in disgust. They are struggling to build a Pakistan with new face, where constitution would be paramount and democracy will reign, and no one would dare to dictate us.
Does Election 2008 provide an opportunity to realize the dream of new Pakistan? Does it really make sense to have these elections in the atmosphere of shackles and shambles? Pakistan stands at a critical juncture with transition and chaos as two possible results, which would have a global effect. The US war on terrorism is primarily responsible for impeding democracy in Pakistan while extremism and terrorism and militancy is direct outcome of lack of democracy, and the continuous support of US of the dictatorial regime.
No war, at home or abroad, can be won without the support and will of the people. If US is taking so much time and spending so much just to verify the existence of Osama Bin Laden in tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, then its scary to think that how much would she take to actually eradicate him. US should support the democracy in Pakistan, and try to share benefits of knowledge and research regarding the modern technology at the grass root level of Pakistan, so that people shed their resentment towards it, and really appreciate the meaning of peace and harmony and US should try to dispel its images of hegemony, vested interest, and hypocrisy.
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