September 9th, 2010 by Evan

In Dawn columnist I.A. Rehman writes that Pakistani democracy is under threat from “privileged politicians” who believe the country should return to a more authoritarian system of governance following the flood crisis. These critics claim that Pakistan’s democratic system has not provided for citizens and the country needs “an honest general” to clean house and establish order. Rehman counters that the challenges Pakistan faces today are actually the result of previous periods of authoritarian rule: “To a large extent the authoritarian rulers who were in power for 32 out of the last 63 years are responsible for the mess the people find impossible to bear. […] The worst crime of Pakistan’s narrow-minded dictators is that by suppressing normal politics they destroyed the roots of democracy.”

Posted in Pakistan |