DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN
"Democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people."
(Abraham Lincoln)
Representative democracy involves the selection of government officials by the people being represented. The most common systems involve election of the candidates with a majority vote.
Pakistan is a democratic and Islamic country, but democracy in Pakistan has been the most irregular and unsatisfactory. The principles of democracy are equality, freedom and social justice which are, unfortunately, not being fully enjoyed by the people of Pakistan. The reason is that the dictators never allow the principles of democracy to flourish in our country.
True democracy anywhere in the world is only possible if the people are educated. It is a fact that more than 80 percent of our people are illiterate. Some of them do not even know how to write their names. They do not understand what is happening around the world. They cannot use their right to vote intelligently and sensibly. It is the people who elect the candidates for the assemblies, and if the people do not exercise their right to vote freely and fairly, corrupt and unsuitable people will govern the country.
'When people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty"
The existence of feudal system controls the lives of millions of villagers and farmers. They are in majority in the country, but they do not enjoy even the rights of minority. The uneducated people will continue to vote for their lords and they will always remain illiterate, backward and down-trodden. The members of our elected national and provincial assemblies are big guns. Their own benefits keep the country backward .The big industrialists also jump into politics to share the political and commercial benefits with their "jagirdaar" brothers. These "jagirdaars" and industrialists have always joined hands with the military dictators. The result is that Pakistan has a history of martial-laws and dictatorial democracies.
Our top political leaders, ministers, chief ministers, prime ministers and presidents have been coming from upper classes. They do not understand the layman's problems because they do not have the required ability and vision. They are responsible for martial-laws. Democracy cannot flourish in the country in the absence of suitable leaders. Selfish leaders destroy the process of democracy and keep the country poor and backward.
"Be not overcome by evil but overcome evil by good"
(Romans)
The rise in terrorism, the growth of provincialism and sectarianism, population explosion and bad economic policies has also damaged democracy. For the last sixty years, there have been . dictatorial governments in Pakistan which have led the country to irreparable losses. Every ruler promised to redress the grievances and miseries of the common people of Pakistan but always proved to be oppressor, tyrant, and destroyer of the country. The opposing forces are still working hard to sabotage the democratic process. We need another Quaid-e-Azam to free us from the mental slavery and put the country back on the track of true democracy, progress and prosperity.
In a democracy, the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.-
(Aristotle)
Democracy did not fail in Pakistan because of illiteracy or caste or ethnic differences or any of the other reasons put forward. The real reason is the ideology; Pakistan is wedded to .Sadly this is true of any Islamic country .The current argument can be finished on these words of G.B Shaw.
"Democracy is the government of the people, for the people and by the people."
(Abraham Lincoln)
Representative democracy involves the selection of government officials by the people being represented. The most common systems involve election of the candidates with a majority vote.
Pakistan is a democratic and Islamic country, but democracy in Pakistan has been the most irregular and unsatisfactory. The principles of democracy are equality, freedom and social justice which are, unfortunately, not being fully enjoyed by the people of Pakistan. The reason is that the dictators never allow the principles of democracy to flourish in our country.
True democracy anywhere in the world is only possible if the people are educated. It is a fact that more than 80 percent of our people are illiterate. Some of them do not even know how to write their names. They do not understand what is happening around the world. They cannot use their right to vote intelligently and sensibly. It is the people who elect the candidates for the assemblies, and if the people do not exercise their right to vote freely and fairly, corrupt and unsuitable people will govern the country.
'When people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty"
The existence of feudal system controls the lives of millions of villagers and farmers. They are in majority in the country, but they do not enjoy even the rights of minority. The uneducated people will continue to vote for their lords and they will always remain illiterate, backward and down-trodden. The members of our elected national and provincial assemblies are big guns. Their own benefits keep the country backward .The big industrialists also jump into politics to share the political and commercial benefits with their "jagirdaar" brothers. These "jagirdaars" and industrialists have always joined hands with the military dictators. The result is that Pakistan has a history of martial-laws and dictatorial democracies.
Our top political leaders, ministers, chief ministers, prime ministers and presidents have been coming from upper classes. They do not understand the layman's problems because they do not have the required ability and vision. They are responsible for martial-laws. Democracy cannot flourish in the country in the absence of suitable leaders. Selfish leaders destroy the process of democracy and keep the country poor and backward.
"Be not overcome by evil but overcome evil by good"
(Romans)
The rise in terrorism, the growth of provincialism and sectarianism, population explosion and bad economic policies has also damaged democracy. For the last sixty years, there have been . dictatorial governments in Pakistan which have led the country to irreparable losses. Every ruler promised to redress the grievances and miseries of the common people of Pakistan but always proved to be oppressor, tyrant, and destroyer of the country. The opposing forces are still working hard to sabotage the democratic process. We need another Quaid-e-Azam to free us from the mental slavery and put the country back on the track of true democracy, progress and prosperity.
In a democracy, the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.-
(Aristotle)
Democracy did not fail in Pakistan because of illiteracy or caste or ethnic differences or any of the other reasons put forward. The real reason is the ideology; Pakistan is wedded to .Sadly this is true of any Islamic country .The current argument can be finished on these words of G.B Shaw.
The
Democracy is a system ensuring that people are
governed no better than they deserve.
governed no better than they deserve.
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