Stability to shine
Despite being an independent country for more than 67 years, Pakistan moves between extremes: civil versus military rule; Islamic fundamentalism versus secular school of thought; and anti-West rhetoric versus pro-West aid policy.
These three areas have confused the nation. If one looks at the situation starting from 2002, Pakistan has transitioned from military rule to quasi-military rule to civilian rule. The completion of a parliamentary term from 2008-2013 was an event that has been cynically looked down by naysayers who look at democracy and civilian rule with contempt.
While the current government of Nawaz Sharif leaves a lot to be desired, the only way to get them out is through the ballot and not the bullet. The current parliament minus Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf party have reposed confidence in the parliamentary form of government and civilian rule, which is in itself an exemplary act of maturity - something unprecedented 20 years ago.
Pakistan is a country of 200 million, which only needs one thing: stability. Give the country stability and it will shine. By siding with the democratically elected government, the political system is only doing itself good in the long run to the country.
In my opinion, if the Sharif government survived the current turmoil, then the matter of stability is one thing that will be settled forever and Pakistan can look to step up its recovery towards an era of growth.
From Mr Ali Wahab
UAE
Allocating election funds
Pakistan is going through tough times, and if things persist this way, the Army is going to take hold of the state affairs, which will be good. If this happened, there would be no more democratic elections held for at least another 10 years or so, and the money that goes into funding the election campaigns could be used to bring goods to the citizens of Pakistan.
From Ms Fatima Al
UAE
Creating anarchy
For any matured and operational democracy, there are three important ingredients: executive, legislative and judiciary power. All three have to work in co-ordination with each other and ensure that none of them encroach on each other’s space. However, sadly in the case of Pakistan, the attempt to mature these institutions has not materialised.
In Pakistan’s history so far, there has been only one instance of a handover of power from one elected parliament to another. The current issue is that one relatively small political party feels that past election results of some seats declared, were not free and fair. The logical answer to this would be to approach the judiciary and seek justice. However, they have demanded resignation of the Prime Minister and in a way created an anarchical environment.
With the army taking a key position on both sides, the situation will result in a weakening of the government and the democratic process in Pakistan.
From Mr Ghanshyam Vyas
UAE
We aren’t ignorant
The elected government is using the constitution for their benefits. I think that Geo TV is helping them hide the truth and the parliamentarians don’t think that Pakistanis are aware of the content in the constitution.
From Mr Imran Shahzada
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Need honest leaders
To be honest, I feel that the political situation in Pakistan has always been part of some sort of corruption. I think that rigging of votes has been happening for a long time. Considering the current political crisis, it seems that Pakistan won’t be having a bright future after all.
Dishonest leaders have always been appreciated in the name of democracy. Public rights are taken for granted and laws and regulations can be taken only at face value. Sharif has been accused of several crimes and yet he is still the leader running our country. What’s more shocking is that these allegations might have some truth in them. The law and order of our country seems to choose to ignore this fact.
The current economical state is in recession, which tells me that the future is going to be worse than ever. Quite frankly, I think it’s shameful. Democracy is supposed to be in the interest of the people, not any one individual. Believe me, Pakistan will be doomed unless some honest leaders step up.
From Ms Sumera Malek
UAE
Sovereignty
I believe things might be unclear right now, but I truly believe that once all of it is over we will have a better Pakistan. Pakistan needs to be run like a sovereign country.
From Mr Shaikh H. Javaid
UAE
Give them time
Imran khan should give some time to the Sharif government. The political party in power needs to prove that they have the best team, which can be tough for political rivals to let happen because it would give them the chance to deliver on promises and positive change. It wasn’t the right time for protests against the federal government.
From Mr Hassan Adel
Islamabad, Pakistan
Sharif’s challenges
This political situation has erupted due to the government’s inability to resolve issues politically. Every single party has said that last year’s elections were rigged and that Sharif was evidently the beneficiary. He failed to investigate four constituencies pointed out by Khan to make sure the culprits and flaws of the electoral system be noticed and corrected for future elections.
Khan has challenged the status quo and Sharif clearly fears this challenge. It seems that he wants to govern Pakistan as a kingdom and not empower institutions and the constitution of Pakistan. On top of that, Sharif tried to malign Pakistan’s army, which is very popular among the people of Pakistan.
The reason for Sharif’s failure is that he wants to give decisive government positions to his family relatives, demolishing the standards of merit. He wants to enhance his personal business empire using the influence he has over the state.
People have seen his attitude to resolve basic common problems. They have increased the debt of Pakistan like never before. There is a need for transparent elections that will ultimately bring people who want to serve the country and develop the justice system in Pakistan.
From Mr Mohammad Omar Quraishi
UAE
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