Leadership Crisis & Weak Political Parties
Pakistan has been struggling politically and economically since the day it came into being. It is a question; why any Prime Minister has not even completed their five-year tenure.
Pakistan’s united opposition parties effectively removed Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan in a vote of no confidence on April 10, after a month of the political crisis in Islamabad.
On April 11, the former opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif became the new PM of the country. The whole situation has given an ironic twist to the country’s chequered politics. It is seen as the renovation of the old order after 3.5 years of experiment with ‘Naya Pakistan.’
The key challenge for this government is to bring political stability to the state and control the economic slide. Also, the challenges demand tough measures to avoid an economic meltdown.
Also, the government needs to work on enabling the usual division in the country. The handover of power may have finished the doubt that has gripped us for the past several weeks, but the political disaster is still existing.
It will be really difficult for an alliance made up of disparate political parties with changing political agendas to deliver the best and required.
But a complete government could help shape bridges. The poor performance of elected leaders in federal and provincial assemblies has made democracy more complex.
The leadership crisis, weak political parties, and failure of democracy are the reasons why Pakistan is not progressing and developing like any other state.
While religious intolerance has been deeply rooted in our society for five decades — however, limited to a small part of the population, the recent wave of political fanatism has seeped into all segments of the public, frequently taking a violent form.
Public members appear to have established blind faith in their leaders, making them follow that sole party or a politician, which is ultimately polarizing our society to extreme levels.
I am worried that the situation may continue to worsen over time due to the enhanced use of social media, which users with real-time info and people tend to consume what matches their beliefs. Also, I will suggest that political leaders avoid peddling negative narratives to their followers because people tend to be more attracted to such opinions.
In recent times, a large number of people have started taking an active part in political debates.
Sometimes, such discussions become heated and lead to physical brawls over one’s political association or views, as was evident from a recent scuffle at an Islamabad hotel of MNA with a citizen who ill-treated the lawmakers over the switching of party affiliation.
Also, in Haripur, an incident happened in which a man killed his friend over a political debate. These are only some of the several examples of increasing political intolerance in our society.
I would simply blame social media for all this situation as people have been receiving a plethora of info without understanding what is wrong and what is right.
Consequently, people accept the knowledge that they consider correct and that matches their beliefs and affiliations.
Also, Idealizing natures and personalities push people towards mental retardation, and they stop using their minds. I am in a fear that this state of affairs will deteriorate in the coming days and will lead to more violence.
It is recommended that the politicians avoid giving double messages to their followers as they get attracted quickly to negative statements. Rehabilitation programs should be conducted on social media and at the government level to prevent more clashes.
After having a session with a Senior Constitutional/Tax Expert Lawyer Mr. Sheikh Farooq, I concluded that the FBR’s tax collection was record high from the last three years.
But there is no accountability and we are still in the position to live under the pressure of IMF and need money from other countries such as Saudi Arabia.
This is not the kind of democracy that we wished for. Also, the right to choose a leader and ruler should be vested in the people instead of someone else.
Intolerance in society is not a new phenomenon and has been there for a long, but it is now being highlighted because of social media, and it is continuously increasing in society.
Politicians should make statements carefully, and religious scholars should teach people that they should respect differences of opinion.
As far as the matter is concerned with inflation, poverty, and the economy, the current government and all other political parties should sit together to think about a positive change and a solution. Inflation has made it difficult for the common man and the middle class to survive easily.
The prices of petrol, sugar, oil, bread, rice, and flour are increasing every single day. Is anyone responsible for this or not? We wanted democracy for a change, for a better future for ourselves and for our children. But the politicians have made it a game of mice and cat where one comes, and the other goes.
Those demanding a fair election don’t have any knowledge that at least a Billion rupees or more is required to conduct an election throughout the country? If you are so desperate about the election, you can collect funds from your own pockets and do it your way.
Otherwise, the public of the country is not in the state of an election, not economically, not mentally.
When Pakistan came into being, the government didn’t have the ability to pay the salaries. A renowned political worker managed the salaries from his own pocket.
Are these politicians do something for the state? The answer is simple; no. Hence, we all should respect the law-making process, our respected judges, and our armed forces so that this country can be a better place to live in.
—The Writer is a Senior Social & Political Analyst Can be Found at [email protected]
