Democracy never had the chance to move briskly on its two feet in our country. Most of the time, it lingered with the help of crutch­es and collapsed before getting to the five-year term. Sometimes the elected leaders are ousted being termed as incapable. At other times the entire system is made to col­lapse as it is “no longer acting in fa­vour of the country”. When compar­ing our democratic traditions with those of our former neighbours, it’s a sad realisation that ours has been ailing for decades.

Whatever the political scenar­io has been since partition, there is no other solution than to exer­cise democratic norms in a pure and solid way. The only cure is to strengthen it with core policies and principles that shall not be challenged in any circumstance. One step in this regard is educat­ing the masses, both in the form of formal education, and by creating awareness on how to elect com­petent representatives. It is obvi­ous that a country with a majority population lagging far behind in literacy rate shall surely lack the vision for the selection of a com­petent leader.

It wouldn’t be justified to say that it is the worst of times. In the past, we have seen the country go through much worse political and economic upheavals. And that tur­moil was usually caused by the collapse of the democratic system. Nevertheless, in the present sce­nario, the direct involvement of pillars of state in the current po­litical hegemony is more obvious. The military establishment, never so vulnerable before, is apparent­ly trying to steer the country back to democratic governance. Mean­while, the judiciary on the other hand, under the current chief jus­tice holds open trials amidst crit­icism. Those who were “beloved once” are so hurt by every deci­sion against them that they leave no stone unturned towards the decision-makers and the king-makers. Thus, there is a mashup of interests which endangers the country’s stability.

Just a few days away from the elections, the situation is still lad­en with a lot of confusion. The haze engulfing the present politi­cal fiasco is thicker than the atmo­spheric one. Almost all the quar­ters raise the question “Are there going to be elections..?” And the answer must be “Yes! There is no other way”. Already much post­poned, the country doesn’t afford any further delay. To strengthen the economy, foreign relations, and above all, stability within the country we need sound gover­nance by the elected representa­tives; who shall be held account­able for all their deeds. Certainly, this cannot be expected from an interim setup or worst still, from a dictatorship or martial law.

A functional system in the coun­try is impossible without a proper­ly elected government. Any kind of delay in elections, be it proposed by some political party or any other in­stitute, can never be in favour of the state. Whether the system thrives swiftly or builds up gradually, it must be democratic. History has shown that gigantic dictators, not just in our country but everywhere in the world, have always ended up as dwarfs. As the curtain of time un­folds, it is only the sunshine of de­mocracy that helps in light and growth. Else is all darkness.

ZARTASHA VIRK,

Lahore.