Confrontation harmful for democracy

TUSSLE between the PML (N) and the PPP is seemingly pushing the country towards the brink of another bout of political instability, which the country can ill-afford now when it is facing social, economic, political and security dangers, internally and externally. This situation has developed when the Sharif brothers were disqualified of by the apex court and they reacted to the imposition of gubernatorial rule in Punjab, the province given to them by Gen Zia, with the design to weaken the PPP after the assassination of ZAB. The Sharifs are allegedly accusing President Zardari of pressuring the apex court to get them disqualified and, thereby, ostracise them from the current political process. To protest against their disqualification and imposition of the governor’s rule, they have been calling people for mass protests in central Punjab, considered to be the bastion of their support and power base. So far, according to some reports (Dawn, Feb 28), they are not receiving the response they were expecting to bring out people in the millions on the streets to bring major cities of Punjab to a standstill. In democracies, however, every individual has a right to protest and express his views in a peaceful manner, but the way the Sharifs are conducting themselves contradicts the democratic values and norms. At the Shaikhupura rally, the language used by Nawaz Sharif for the PPP co-chairman was unbecoming, and he openly called for civil disobedience. This is unfortunate. Such attitude is reminiscent of the time when the Sharifs were in confrontation with the PPP at the centre in the 1990s, which brought down the democratic system. This time too such an attitude will be harmful not only for democracy but also for the national unity and integrity. Nawaz Sharif should show maturity as a national leader. Consolidation of democracy is dependent on the political leadership. It has to be honest and public-spirited. It must have initiative, imagination and courage to see and foresee the needs of the people and problems of their country. John Stuart Mill has rightly said in his book Representative Government that democracy cannot flourish where sectional and parochial interests are stronger than national interest. Mill sounds relevant in our context where our national political leadership is pursuing its own petty agenda at the cost of national interest which, otherwise, requires all political parties to be one and show national unity in the face of internal and external challenges the nation is facing today. Today our society stands politically polarised, and each party is trying to outsmart the other in the political race. Having difference of opinion is a good thing and this is the beauty of democracy, but uprooting a democratically-elected government in the name of independent judiciary by riding on the shoulders of the lawyers’ movement is not a healthy sign. I have been a supporter of the lawyers’ movement right from the beginning and have been writing in these pages, but now the lawyers’ movement is losing the semblance of its neutrality, especially after the meeting of Ali Ahmed Kurd with political parties and seeking their support. There are no two opinions about the independence of the judiciary and restoration of deposed justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He must be restored but if his restoration does not take place for any reason, democracy should not be harmed and scuttled. The process of democratisation must move on and this way democracy can only remove its imperfections and grow as a strong force for survival and progress of the country. So, instead of indulging in confrontation, we should go for national reconciliation to defend and promote democracy in the country where it has been bleeding for more than 61 years. Hope, sanity will prevail and our politicians will find solutions through democratic means to heal the wounds of bleeding democracy, instead of uprooting it.