From 1947 to 1951,
Pakistan as a fledgling nation did not run on the basis of a constitution.
Government of India Act-1935 was the sole document that served the purpose of
the constitution. After nine years the first legal constitution arrived in
1956. However the sanctity of this document proved short-lived. It was
abrogated in 1958. This began the practice of accepting the intrusion of Armed
Forces personnel in active politics in Pakistan. Iskander Mirza became the
president with the support of General Muhammad Ayub Khan, Commander-in-Chief of
the armed forces, who was named chief martial-law administrator. General Ayub Khan
subsequently forced him to resign and became the president himself. When
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto started the movement against Ayub Khan, there happened
again a breach of faith in constitution. Ayub Khan resigned and transferred the
power to Chief of Army- General Yahya Khan instead of following the rule of
Constitution.This also shows that constitution of Pakistan has never earned the
respect that a nation should owe to this ultimate endorsement of modern
democratic philosophy. It was no wonder that Yahya Khan assumed the Presidency
hereafter. In 1973 the National Assembly
adopted the country's fifth constitution. In 1977, the army Chief of Staff,
General Muhammad Zia Ul-Haq, imposed another military regime. The Supreme Court
of Pakistan sanctioned General Zia’s overthrowing of Bhutto government on
grounds of necessity. This also set the precedence since now instead of being just
a one time political event, the country accepted that whenever required, armed
forces can become part of decision making process in the administration of the
country overthrowing the legitimate avenues established in the constitution.
When in later years, direct intervention of Armed Forces in governance was
curbed in accordance with the constitution, General Karamat adopted an arm
twisting tactic and resigned from the post of Army Chief. General Musharraf
took over and imposed another decade of military regime in Pakistan. However he
learnt fast from his predecessors. This time, he validated his dictatorship
under the ruse of a referendum and got himself the Presidency through
election-thus legitimizing his rule.
It can be thus
concluded, that democracy in Pakistan has always been subservient to Army. It
may be questioned that why do people allow the army personnel to interfere and
later on usurp the power. The answer lies in the social makeup of the country
and the state of economy.
In 1985 when
election was held under General Zia tribal leaders were 157 in number in
National Assembly. Businessmen accounted for 54 elected members. Industry was
dominated by a few families and private ownership. Largely using
their own resources, they accounted for the major part of investment and
ownership in manufacturing during the first two decades after independence.
Hence it is obvious that they would want someone in power to help further their
individual profits. Whenever, anyone has tried to go against these handful of
wealthy class of landlords and industrialists, they have ousted him. Case in
point would be Mr. Bhutto’s administration. When Zulfikar ali Bhutto continued with
his economic reforms, nationalization and limiting the power of Armed Forces,
he incurred the wrath of these people which eventually led to his downfall.
Sindhis and Punjabis have always dominated the
political forefront in Pakistan. Whenever a political leader emerges in
Pakistan his first campaign revolves around his ancestral home and biradari.
Association and identification with a clan gives the popular endorsement to his
views. In this, Pakistan is quite similar to Lebanon and other Middle Eastern
nation states where national identity comes second to clan allegiance. This
nature of politics is also a feature of any country where literacy level is
low. According to UNESCO the education scenario in Pakistan is grim. Independent sources and educational experts place the
overall literacy rate at 26 per cent and the rate for girls and women at 12 per
cent. The situation is more alarming in rural areas. The significant spillover
effect of such low literacy is reflected in political democracy of the country.
A higher literacy rate would involve more people in the decision making process
and would raise the economic status. Right now it is a vicious cycle of
illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, lack of cohesion and national integrity.
Corruption thus colludes the ideals and ambitions of people empowered to change
the course of the country. At present growth rate stands at only 3.67. On the
other hand, population growth rate is a staggering 34% between 2001 and 2011. Unless
literacy and population control measures are adopted stringently, the economic
benefits would be lost. Critics might say that this growth is due to the influx
of refugees in the last decade. However the total fertility rate is
highest in Pakistan- at 3.2 it is higher than India or Bangladesh.
So
the challenges for the leading political parties in upcoming election are many-
fighting corruption and terrorism, reviving the economy, establishing peaceful
democracy and all its ministrations and increasing the literacy rate and standard
of living.
