DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN

Democracy is defined as

“Rule of the people, by the people, rule for the people”

Democracy is a form of government in which people elect their representatives

themselves and the representatives of the people form government and opposition.
Since independence Pakistan has experienced different forms of government which
include Parliamentary, Presidential systems, martial law, and democracy. From the
day of inception of Pakistan, the people are struggling for a better form of
Government and they have selected Democracy as the best one. But it is a
misfortune for the people of Pakistan that the democracy could not continue for
long and it is derailed off and on. Military rules have dented Pakistan’s Democracy
three times in the history.
The progress of democracy in Pakistan has been most irregular and unsatisfactory.
Pakistan was supposed to have a completely democratic system of government
within an Islamic framework. However, democracy was not allowed to work well.
The actual democratic states are the one which are also the welfare states. They
work for the welfare of the people and take the leadership as a pure responsibility
towards the state and towards the people as well.
In Pakistan, before elections, almost all political leaders promised that they will
work for the welfare of the country when they came into power. However, still, all
governments could not cope with the basic issues of common citizens. Therefore,
the general public is still suffering from basic facilities of life, food and water
shortage, energy crisis and poor health facilities.
The basic reason behind this is that more than eighty percent of our people are
thoroughly illiterate so they cannot vote intelligently at all.
The separation of East Pakistan was the result of mismanagement of state affairs in
the political and economic fields. We should take a lesson now at least and decide
to create the best social, political and economic conditions for the promotion of
national unity and democratic progress.
Democracy will die its natural death if we do not put an end to the major evils like
illiteracy, terrorism, bribery, corruption, economic inequality, and feudal system.