Not by elections alone

These are times that, in Thomas Paine’s words, “try men’s souls”. And: “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now will deserves the love and thanks of men and women”.

Yes, a state of crisis remains endemic in Pakistan. We can constantly hear the muffled sounds of things falling apart. The centre has almost never held. At this time, however, the sense of alarm has peaked. To now invoke Yeats: “The best lack all conviction while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity”. In his apocalyptic premonition, the poet could see that “surely, some revelation is at hand”.

I am sorry for these rather metaphorical reflections on a situation that is so hard to comprehend and so unbearable in its stark reality. One cannot even imagine the misery of such a large chunk of our population that is directly affected by the floods and its lethal consequences. In addition, the entire country is confronted with challenges that boggle the mind. A sensitive and sensible Pakistani would rightly be in a state of depression and acute emotional distress.

I confess to being very upset and distraught in the face of a rising wave of economic, political and social disruptions. Unfortunately, the tragedy of the floods and the magnitude of the human misery that they have caused have not brought the nation together. On the other hand, confrontation in the political arena is becoming more antagonistic and this animosity is beginning to cast its shadows on the working of our national institutions.

Striding on the political stage is Imran Khan, energizing his large following in a manner that has distracted attention from the floods and the urgent need for relief and rehabilitation. There have been a few somewhat cosmetic visits to affected areas but the fury of the former prime minister is exclusively directed against the present, ‘imported’ regime.

Meanwhile, suspense is building up about how the PTI leader would cope with his coming encounters in the courts of law and if he would be disqualified in this process. There are dire threats of agitation and popular revolt if Imran Khan were to be awarded with a disqualification verdict. This means that a spell of chaos and disorder is very much ensured because Imran Khan also keeps promising a long march on Islamabad if his demand for fresh national elections is not accepted.

I am desisting from taking note of or interpreting many statements and moves made by the PTI leader this week to add to the tally of his U-turns and reversals in his political stance, such as those involving the choice of the next chief of army staff and a dalliance with the Americans, who were supposed to have facilitated his ouster from power in April.

But there is consistency in Imran Khan’s demand for fresh national elections. Unprecedented floods and other national emergencies have failed to deflect his attention from this campaign. On Thursday, he reiterated this demand in a video address. He argued that only fresh elections would save Pakistan from its present quagmire and foster economic and political stability.

Though the present coalition government is not willing to go for snap polls and has decided to stay in office until the national elections are due almost a year from now, there is no harm in considering the pros and cons of this proposal in the existing circumstances.

As for Imran Khan, he views himself to be riding a wave and in no need for the hidden hand of the neutrals that helped him in 2018. But he himself is creating conditions in which political peace and stability have become elusive. An election campaign is sure to raise the temperature and subvert any attempt to bring the nation together to build for the future. Even without any distractions, national elections turn the country upside down.

If elections are meant to strengthen the democratic foundation of our polity, the outcome would hardly be propitious without the induction of democratic values of tolerance, rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights of the citizens. It is widely acknowledged that elections alone do not a democracy make. Apparently, survival of democracy in Pakistan is becoming more and more tenuous even when any other option would be suicidal.

In a statement issued on Thursday, which marked International Day of Democracy, Senator Raza Rabbani made certain points that are notable. He said that democracy is tottering in Pakistan and the struggle and sufferings of hundreds of thousands of political workers are being sacrificed at the altar of personal ambitions, ego and compromises.

“There are two Pakistans”, he remarked. “One is drowned Pakistan and the other is the elite’s Pakistan. This apathy towards the sufferings of millions is a threat to democracy”. In his view, the politicization of the army chief’s appointment was also a threat to democracy.

But if democracy is under siege, what else is in the offing? PTI leaders, particularly Fawad Chaudhry, have often frightened their adversaries with a mass revolt. Imran Khan has repeatedly said that if elections are not announced, he would give a “call to the nation”. A call to the nation to do what? Is the PTI a revolutionary party stronger than the might of the state?

Obviously, the PTI cannot masquerade as a party of the poor and the underprivileged whose immortal longings for freedom and social justice have remained unrequited. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year, Imran Khan was prime minister and he proclaimed that Afghanistan had broken “the shackles of slavery”.

Is he pleased with the reports that members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were again surfacing in Swat? Sadly, Imran Khan’s followers do not care about what he says and believes in. His lack of fidelity to any specific values does not matter. And this, in addition to other burdens we carry, puts Pakistan in a very dangerous position.

The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: ghazi_salahuddin @hotmail.com