Straw that saved democracy
SIGH! So, a great trembling ended, for now at least. How come the political landscape of Pakistan’s lowly satisfactory democracy was about to collapse?
The perspectives, for some, driven by populist spirit, former PM Imran Khan came as a Messiah to anoint the Augean stable of Pakistan’s political sphere and updating the version from Pakistan 1.0 to Pakistan 2.0 viz Naya Pakistan.
Others, focused on theoretical democracy, saw PTI as anti-democratic with aims of constitutional violation and authoritarian populism.
Considered a filthy dump of corruption, maladministration, absolutism, and dishonesty, politics is outlined as a reputed gray area in Pakistan.
However, the misinterpretation lies in the consideration of politics as a show of emotions and excitement.
One needs to understand that politics is not a child’s play but a very serious business in Pakistan.
Revisiting the subject, Imran Khan turned a victor in 2018. Certainly, he made groundbreaking progress in fighting climate change, issuing health cards, and battling pandemic.
However, the delinquency arose when instead of leading the people, Khan and Co started leading a cult – so infatuated that it considered opposition as arch-nemesis.
The cult’s worship parlayed PTI’s populous rhetoric and their ultra-obsession went into an addiction to power.
The oracle of Bani Gala turned PTI factions into blind followers, rejecting any criticism and embracing Khan as a liberator of nearly everything.
On the other side, the PTI remained a damp squib with its unfulfilled claims of cleansing corruption and making millions of jobs.
Those, observant of the democratic process, started to stave off from PTI’s populist grandiloquence.
For more than 1200 days in office, IK completely ignored the legitimate opposition because of his superiority complex.
Similarly, he kept using the state’s apparatus in undermining political rivals. With this, opposition set a showdown against Khan’s authoritarianism.
Accept it or not, PTI bid for every lottery to subdue opposition. Still, the inevitable remained certain.
Amidst all, when kingmakers turned neutral, the plank of parliamentary democracy got tousled for IK.
The establishment, rightfully annoyed by the alleged diplomatic cable scandal, stepped in to maintain the country’s international image.
When it made its first step not to back any political spirit, the PTI, who already violated the constitution, got under duress without crutches. This act of neutralization came out to be the protector from a costly martial law.
It helped Pakistan’s democratic process restoration. The flawed democracy got united and re-tracked establishment’s nonalignment.
Short and sweet in sour state of affairs is the fruit ripped by the establishment. Populous denial does not change the fact that Pakistan was saved from a coup d’état through discernment of establishment.
Alike past, things could have gone wrong and Pakistan would have been dreaded in the abyss of direct military dictatorship.
This time, however, things remained smooth from military’s side. Therefore interestingly, the last straw that saved the democracy’s back from complete devastation was placed by the establishment.
With the new Prime Minister in office, let us reiterate that every up and down is acceptable but the democratic process must continue for state’s existence.
For future, people need to get out of hallucinations and practice representative rationality regarding political scenarios.
—The Islamabad-based writer is a political commentator and social critic.
