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Democratic breakthrough

In a rare display of bipartisan political sagacity, Pakistan’s two major democratic parties, which have traditionally been at daggers drawn, have made common cause on key democratic and institutional issues and decided to work together in forming governments at the Centre and in the provinces. This is bad news for the dictator, retired General Pervez Musharraf, who was clearly banking on the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League(N) going separa te, if not opposite, ways. Their far-sighted agreement to “stay together in principle” and amicably discuss and resolve specific issues on which they might have differences can consolidate the inspiring outcome of the recent elections — and lay the foundation for genuine parliamentary democracy in a country that desperately thirsts for it. Contrary to media speculation, Asif Ali Zardari, whose party will be the senior partner in Pakistan’s new government, and Nawaz Sharif, whose uncompromising stand did much to revive the democratic struggle, moved fast to pre-empt mischief. Mr. Zardari and his party colleagues, in particular, have done well to play straight and resist the pressure of some western countries to go easy on the dictator and his post-election schemes. The defining elements of the PPP-PML(N) concord are perfectly sound: the restoration of the 1973 Constitution, the supremacy of Parliament, the independence of the judiciary, and provincial autonomy.

The most powerful political force in Pakistan today is the movement for democracy, exemplified by the persistent demand for the reinstatement of the ousted Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhary. Sensing the country’s mood, the PPP and the PML(N) have correctly emphasised the need to ensure that the governments of varied hue at the Centre and in the provinces be allowed to complete their elected five-year term. This is an acknowledgment of the harsh historical reality of “guided democracy” in a country where elected governments have been given short shrift, under one pretext or another, by military usurpers. Much hard work needs to be done before a credible and enduring democratic structure emerges. On top of the domestic challenges, there is the dynamic of external pressure from the United States, which has its own stakes in a key regional ally’s power structure and policies. Nevertheless, the road ahead for the people of Pakistan looks more promising than it has done in a long time. All of democratic India will wish them well.

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