Understanding the Political Culture of Pakistan
- Military and Political Interference: Pakistan's governance has been frequently destabilized by military coups and power struggles within the state, undermining democratic processes and public trust.
- Corruption and Elitism: Leaders often engage in corruption and nepotism, with power passed through family hierarchies, reducing accountability and deepening public disillusionment.
- Need for Political Reform: For a stable political culture, Pakistan requires leaders with integrity, separation of military and federal powers, and tolerance among political parties to foster mature governance.
Unrest and corruption plague the streets of Pakistan. The nation, once thriving with smiles and pride for its motherland, now regrets ever establishing a livelihood in the state. Since the partition in 1947, Pakistan has been in an active struggle to find stability on its shaky legs. The land of the pure has been marred and bruised by its politics, more specifically, military coups, idiotic governance, imbalance within state powers, immature politics, treachery, corruption, and kitty-fighting among political party leaders. This long history of abuse has been persevering for 77 years and needs to be rectified before serious consequences occur, and it all ends with a political antidote.
In an act to overthrow the governor-general, Iskander Mirza, military officer Ayub Khan, upon earning the status of chief of military staff after the first martial law (and not the last) was inducted, exiled the governor-general and appointed himself as President in 1958. He assumed that military rule could be the saving grace for a Pakistan declining because of the rapid shuffling of governor generals. Although he contributed to immense economic growth, which in the end only led to the establishment of the 20 elite families and handing them the reins over the nation’s expansive resources, he abolished democracy and introduced a sinister version of it: basic democracy, in which only councils could vote, not Pakistani citizens. In essence, Pakistanis redeemed their right to vote in 1970.
He deemed Pakistanis illiterate and devoid of sense to select a leader. Unfortunately, this was not the last martial law, as there were two more after this in 1977 and 1999, which lasted almost decades. Making the public your number one enemy should be the last thing on any national leader’s mind.
To the dismay of the Pakistani public, being disserviced by their leader is a normal occurrence. In this case, Zia ul Haq tried to put a religious leash on his people and succeeded. His tenure drastically impacted Pakistani politics, society, culture, and lifestyle. He brought upon an ‘Islamisation’ and heavily relied on shariah and the likes of ulema, as a last resort, to secura some sort of support. He executed the Hudood Ordinance, which accented the pre-existing laws with punishments mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, permitting punishments for adultery, theft, defamation, and blasphemy.
Another hammer on the nail was Zia silencing the voices of journalists and student unions in efforts to repress their freedom of speech. His idiotic political regimes were not surprising considering his predecessors also made impractical decisions of antagonizing Pakistanis, like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto escalating the separation of West Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh.
It is naive to assume the political culture of Pakistan is not affected by the state powers. The triangle of powers exists as pillars working together to conduct, serve, and protect Pakistan. It is disappointing that these powers are lacking and are part of the root problem of accommodating the problems of Pakistan. To further digress, according to Dr. Muhammad Abrar Zahoor, “The Legislature is seen attempting to create laws that limit the Judiciary’s powers and the Executive attempting to prevent the implementation of judicial orders.” The legislative and executive pillars are caught up in a tussle of minimizing the judiciary’s powers, which holds the responsibility for ensuring proper protocols for executing and interpreting laws.
The trichotomy wrestling in discord paves a rocky road for Pakistan and leads to several issues being overlooked, like the lack of justice. The majority of politicians are incompetent: they not only lack the proper credentials of a politician but are also illiterate. They have a list of criminal activity longer than the achievements of Pakistan and still have the audacity to contest in elections and hold their positions as political leaders.
The ‘best’ awful politician award goes to Nawaz Sharif for his several corruption cases regarding Panama Papers, Chaudhry Sugar Mills, plane hijacking, the Avenfield case, treason, and corruption. He has a peanut for a brain but the confidence of a genius. Although he does not know how to win the hearts of Pakistanis, he is adept at stealing from them. There are numerous like him frolicking around Pakistan and involved in the unfair transaction of stealing, like the rest of the Sharif family and more. The ex-Prime Minister, once a leader of the political party PMLN, held a great deal of influence over the general public of Pakistan, and despite having a generous experience in the playing field of politics, his downfall started with washing his hands in dirty money.
In 2018, the Supreme Court declared Nawaz unfit to continue his tenure as PMLN’s president in light of the Panama Papers judgment. Contrary to the constitutional waiver of democracy, parties like PMLN and PPP often pass the baton to their beneficiaries, like sons and blood relatives, instead of holding democratic elections within the party members. Nawaz forfeited the throne to his brother, Shahbaz, and likewise, upon Zulfiqar Bhutto’s untimely demise, Benazir swept up to take over. The clearcut hierarchy remains where if you are not blood, then you will not be promoted to positions of authority.
Political parties are trapped in a limbo of arguing, spreading propaganda, and harassing each other for the sake of gaining advantage. Instead of classifying the pervasive issues of Pakistan regardless of their beliefs, they stoop down to immature tactics of defamation. During 2022, Imran Khan was removed as Prime Minister in the action of a No-Confidence Motion. The once Prime Minister was beaten and dragged out of the Islamabad High Court in a foolish manner instead of conducting a peaceful dialogue with PTI.
Pakistan holds great potential for political refreshment, especially since the arrival of Imran Khan, a populist leader. However, people lose confidence in their voting power with methods of cheating and rigging. Pakistan cannot be built on a bed of lies and requires a stabilized foundation for a decent political culture. Politicians without appropriate credentials and slammed with criminal charges need to be banned from any kind of representation; the state powers can avoid mingling in a power play and be decentralized; the army and federal sectors need to be separated; and for the sake of ruling Pakistan, parties can tolerate each other and conduct mature conversations to pioneer the future Pakistan.
The author is a freelance writer with a strong passion for social justice, politics, and research.
