Thursday, February 21, 2008

Revival of Democracy in Pakistan. But Does That Guarantee A Better Governance?

The general election in Pakistan has dethroned the ruling establishment, paving the way for the revival of "democratic" political parties. It is certainly a great news for all democracy loving people not only in Pakistan, but all over the world.

But there is one key question that nobody can afford to overlook. Does the revival of "democratic parties" necessarily guarantee a good governance? It is a harsh fact that the record of elected Pakistani leaders has not been very bright, with almost everybody's tenure being marred by corruption, nepotism, etc. The same is true about the tenures of Nawaz Sharif and Late Benezir Bhutto, whose parties have been in the forefront in the recent "fight" against Musharraf's dictatorship. In fact, when army had taken over in 1999 under Musharraf, there was huge jubilation among common Pakistanis in various parts of the country, as they had become tired of the misrule of so called popularly elected leaders.

Anyways, the revival of democratic rule is always welcome. Let us hope that the democratic political parties will now make a proper use of the opportunity granted to them by the common Pakistanis, the opportunity to run the country, and will drive their country towards all round prosperity. Our best wishes for them.

1 comment:

Rahul Bajpai said...

It's good that educated people in India are recognizing the need of democracy in neighborhood. great start, keep it up, all the best.