Author: ANI
Publication: Yahoo News
Date: December 16, 2002
URL: http://in.news.yahoo.com/021216/139/1z69c.html
Speakers at a Justice and Peace
Commission workshop on democracy and human rights on Sunday did not see
much hope for democracy in a country which was directly or indirectly ruled
by the army and where state institutions were used in the interest of a
privileged few rather than the people at large, reports Dawn.
Prof Mehdi Hassan said the fact
that eight elections had been held in the country in the last 15 years
did not mean that democracy was being practised in letter and spirit. The
people have been totally ignored by rulers. The future of democracy in
the country is dark since no party has the capability or the political
will to bring about a radical change in the status quo.
He alleged that none of the 158
registered political parties in the country had set a criterion for membership.
This leads to anti-political practices like floor-crossing. Every party
had opportunists surrounding its leaders and striving for power only.
He alleged that the political affiliation
of a politician could be moulded either by an offer of a ministry or the
threat of a NAB reference.
Pointing to causes of failure of
democracy in Pakistan, he said policies were made for a patronized class
only.
He was of the view that economic,
social and diplomatic problems could not be solved through closed-door
administrative decisions and must be resolved in consultation with the
people.
Prof Mehdi warned that as along
as armed forces were ruling either directly or indirectly, democracy could
not be expected to take roots in the country.
Apart from playing a pivotal role
in ruling the country since 1954, the armed forces had been consuming a
substantial part of the annual budget in the name of defence against a
'threatening neighbour', he added.
Pakistan should normalize its diplomatic
relations with India, he suggested. Had the countries been surviving only
on a strong defence, the former USSR would not have fragmented, he observed.
Prof Mehdi also accused the army
of fundamentalist proclivities, saying that all religious parties were
a creation of armed forces under the "pseudo-Islamic" stance of Gen Ziaul
Haq. The degrees awarded by religious institutions were declared equivalent
to graduation by the former military regime just to let the religious leaders
contest elections, he added.
He said that while looking towards
judiciary and bureaucracy for rescue would be futile, members of the political
parties should collectively pressurise their leaders into adopting pro-people
policies for promotion of democracy.
Supreme Court Bar Association president
Hamid Khan said intelligence agencies had been conspiring jointly against
the democracy right from the beginning. The establishment had tampered
with the election results of some 30 to 50 seats in the Punjab alone to
secure a lead for the PML-Q, he alleged.
He further alleged that the NAB
had been used to sabotage democracy and create a king's party through a
discriminatory accountability of corrupt politicians. "NAB-affected" politicians
had been included in the National Alliance and allotted ministries.
According to him, even the constitution
had been restored in such a way that it would benefit the king's party.
The verdict of the Supreme Court on LFO and judicial appointments was a
big disappointment as far as independence of judiciary was concerned, he
added.
Former Punjab law minister Afzal
Haider said the government decision to restore joint electorates had strengthened
democracy by making it possible for the minorities to participate in mainstream
politics.
Justice and Peace Commission executive
secretary Aftab Alexander Mughal said the minorities in Pakistan had always
been working to strengthen the country and would extend cooperation in
this regard in future as well.