The recipe of revolution

It is concerning to watch ‘upper-class PTI revolutionaries’ celebrating the destruction of state property. It is puzzling why they cannot understand the facts or control their sentiments. The fault lies in our understanding and expectations of what an uprising can achieve. Democratic transition is not about overthrowing or triggering a revolution by an individual, nor is it about an individual taking power later. Democracy is about institutions and systems, which may seem mundane but are the bedrock of stability.

Politics is hard work that requires sweat and grind beyond idealism, a lesson we often forget. Revolutions such as what is happening in the country will only lead to devastation. We often refer to the revolution in Turkey, but we fail to learn from Tunisia, where the revolution triggered by the incident of Mohamed Bouazizi in 2010 did not make Tunisia prosperous but instead caused significant economic damage. The removal of Saddam Hussain did not make Iraq a pure democratic state either. Burning the country just for the sake of a single person will not bring prosperity or the ‘real freedom’. Let us all learn from the enduring lesson of the Arab Spring and strengthen our institutions instead of relying on individual leaders.

Mohammad Faisal

Usta Mohammad