Democracy + Pakistan = Peace with India

9

Tweet

Pakistan is one of the most fragile nation states in the world. Plagued by multiple regimes that have plundered the very soul of Pakistan, it is a country falling apart from all angles. No one plays their allocated role in Pakistan...the disemboweled judiciary competes with the elected government, the ISI functions like a rogue shadow army, the army functions like a quasi government, and the people of Pakistan are torn asunder by the incompetence of all these institutions.

After successive aborted attempts at democracy, Pakistan seems to be in the middle of another political quagmire...a hydra headed government striking dubious deals with the Taliban, settling for a questionable 'peace' and abdicating large tracts of Pakistan to a movement that has created chaos in the region. While it pulls at the skirt of America, in search of much needed finance, it also plays ball with terrorist groups, fundamentalists and encourages cross border militancy in India.

Pakistan is about to sink under its own contradictions. American drones already strike on its territory at will, in complete disregard for Pakistan's sovereignty. American troops and secret services operate in Pakistan in complex and involved operations against AlQaeda operatives suspected of hiding out all over the country. From the north-west frontier to the streets of Islamabad, no one force seems to be in control, creating a dangerous vacuum. History teaches us that any vacuum sucks in opportunistic elements that may or may not operate in the people's interest. Pakistan's history teaches us that every vacuum has filled with another bout of chaos, military rule or immature democracy.

However, one interesting feature of recent history in Pakistan is the rise of a relatively sensible media. Freedom of the Press in Pakistan is an extremely important step on the road to democracy and the building of robust democratic institutions. Interlinked with its fate is the freedom of speech of the common man in Pakistan, and it is only when that common man rises above the babble that Pakistan will start engaging with real democracy. A Pakistani channel exposed Kasab's home first, in a refreshing shift from normal state owned information they had the courage to expose the government's lies on the matter. One hopes that the media in Pakistan will evolve and grow stronger every day so that they can power a culture of freedom of speech. Another critical and positive development is the rise of the intellectual classes and artists of Pakistan...global citizens who have been exposed to and revel in the freedom of democratic art...have studied all over the world and hopefully return to enrich Pakistan. Artists all over the world create trans-national communities and act as bridges between warring nation states, their role is of the utmost importance in fostering democracy and healing. I am happy to see more and more Pakistani faces on Indian Television channels debating and discussing issues in an open and positive way. The more thought-leaders debate, the more the seeds of democracy are sown.

The long march for justice has now created history twice.

Iftikhar Chaudhry and Nawaz Sharif are the new poster boys of Pakistani Democracy.

It is in our strategic interest as Indians and global citizens of democracy to encourage and nurture them and their democratic agendas. While political opportunism will mean that the poster boys keep changing, the underlying democratic tools should evolve, grow stronger and become institutionalized. Once you create democracy and unleash it in a region, no force in the world can subvert it. This is because the people experience its power and become individual champions of democracy. Dysfunctional alliances like the one with the Taliban and the institutionalized support for terrorism will slowly crumble. As Pakistan commences its real tryst with destiny, one can only hope that their economy will kick start simultaneously with a robust people's movement. The alternative is a far reaching implosion. And its effects will reach every drawing room in the sub-continent.