There is no denial of the fact that democracy is the only panacea to all the ills our country is facing now a day; almost all the problems, Pakistan is confronting at the time are the product of dictatorial regimes. Whether it be the widening gulf between the rich and poor culminating into the cessation of country or be the decision to join Cold war as American stooge causing havoc to the country. The reason is that dictators have not be responsible for their action before the people hence they make decisions according to their own whims and caprices without giving any heed to the public welfare. 

It is also true that the country has been directly ruled by the military dictators for more than three decades and indirectly ruled for the rest of its life. Military’s intervention in politics stunned the growth of all democratic institutions and transformed politicians into dummies whose strings are in the hands of military establishment. We have seen how these invisible hands manipulate electoral results in the past in order to bring their favorite politicians into power. In the past, Mr. Nawaz sheriff was the most obedient protégé of the establishment, which introduced him into the echelon of power, but Mr. Shariff proved to be a Frankenstein’s monster and turned against his creator. He tried to concentrate power into his own hands as a monarch and wittingly marginalized parliament and other democratic institutions. It is true that PML (N)’s do not have any democratic credentials rather it left no stone unturned in destroying democratic institutions and values. 

Now the military establishment has adopted a new and more ambitious protégé in the form of a revolutionary leader who has successfully sold his slogans of change to the people, and it seems that the new puppet will manage to enter into power corridors due to the blessings of his invisible mentor. The PML (N) leader and his daughter are behind the bars due to conviction by Accountability court and the leadership of PPP is also going to face courts due to their alleged role in corruption cases so road is clear for the revolutionary. 

In this situation, our media and some intellectuals have started to hail Mr. Nawaz as a champion of democracy who dared to challenge unbridled power of establishment, but it is not true; he was neither the champion of democracy nor is he now. The vicissitudes of fate have brought him in confrontation with the establishment. Lamentably, tug of war between the two will destroy the nascent democracy and the people will suffer from their mutual confrontation. 

All the sane people agree on the one point that the interests of the country are in the perpetuity and continuation of democracy is the only panacea for all our ills and malaises: we have tested and tried dictators in vain and suffered irreparable losses due to their ignorance and stupidity. Now the time has come to give some respect to democracy and the value of vote. If history is any guide to us then we should not forget the lessons of the history, should stand on the side of democracy, and should fight against the forces of authoritarianism and tyranny. Time has to come to realize our own strength in order to face the invisible forces, which always deprive us from our fundamental right s and rule us through their puppets. 

TAYYAB BUTT,  

Sialkot, July 18.