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| The Parliament of Pakistan. |
The changing trends
in the political culture of Pakistan
Political culture refers to the collective attitudes, behaviors,
actions and observance of a certain set traditions, norms and conventions on
the part of those involved in a particular political setup. In the established
democratic countries, where the transition of governments is peaceful and
regular, political parties are mature and manifesto-oriented, civilian
authority is supreme, their political culture is stable and is seen in
observance by all the stakeholders. Whereas, on the other hand, countries with unstable democracies, long
reigns of dictatorship, immature and self-centered political parties, weak
civilian authority, have certainly got an unstable an ever-changing political
culture. Pakistan is no exception in this regard.
Although it is believed that Pakistan has been back on the
track of democracy for the last few years and civilian authority seems to be
taking roots, yet the country lacks a firm and stable democratic culture which
is essential for the smooth democratic system and which warrants the political
stakeholders to tread on.
In the past, for most part of the political history of
Pakistan , it is the military which has
either directly ruled or through the instrumentality of space sharing. Once the
military is in power, there had not been enough powerful parties (except few)
who could raise voice against it and galvanize public opinion. Interestingly it
were some of the political parties which
were in aid to the dictatorship to secure a political cover for it, the
religious parties were the foremost in this regard. The concept of “turn coat”
was also evident by most of the political parties and known public figures. It
is due to all these factors which did not allow the formation of stable
democratic culture in Pakistan.
With the much touted and highly hailed first democratic
transition of power in wake of the general election of 2013 the political
culture of Pakistan went the other way. As per the requirements of an ideal
political culture, in which the losing parties concede its defeat and pledge to
act as an opposition to check the negative tendencies and ultra vires acts of
the government, the losing party- the PTI kept on the politics of agitation. The party alleged the winning
party for having been allegedly rigged the election in its favor. The party
staged the longest sit-in the capital Islamabad, demanding the resignation of
the newly formed government. The agitation was also joined by the PAT (a party
with least political clout) .
The addition of the process to the political culture was
two-pronged. First it somewhat dimmed the importance of the democratic
transition, and secondly it reverted the scene back to the 70s and 80s when the
slogans of rigging and failure of the democratic governments were the cries of
the day, and the intervention of the nondemocratic forces was always awaited as
the savior leading to salvation. With the Panama leak the political situation
may again precipitate into chaos and agitation, as it is indicated by the PTI.
Political agitation is both a right and sometimes a need as
well in the democratic systems; it enhances the sense of democratic citizenship
among the masses and increases awareness. The people who are mostly apolitical
are sensitized to participate in the affairs of the country. But on the other
hand it does not let the smooth running of the system and discredit the
civilian rule especially in a country like Pakistan whose political history is
full with the interventions of the non- democratic forces. The issues which
they want to get resolved through political agitation could be dealt with
through institutional mechanism, as per the demand of an ideal political culture.
For instance, the allegation of rigging which led the PTI to
stage a public sit-in could also be taken up in the available legal forums, as
provided by the constitution. The post Panama leak situation can also be dealt
with through the available legal forums like the investigations agencies and
the apex court of law.
The cumulative effects of the agitation and street politics
is not letting the process leading to the foundation of a solid democratic
culture but setting precedents of agitation and chaos. Pakistan is certainly
nascent in its experience with the democratic system of governance. The
political forces need to form a stable political culture which favors the
continuation of the democratic system of governance in the country.
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