The talk on altering the present parliamentary system in Pakistan by a presidential system retains popping up at times and fizzles out like a storm in a teacup. These days, it’s within the air once more. The proposal relies on the belief {that a} sturdy president will carry stability within the political system and clear it from corruption. Our historical past has proved the fallibility of this speculation repeatedly, nonetheless it at all times finds some proponents. We had tried each, the parliamentary system in addition to the presidential system; nonetheless, we didn’t run both of them easily.
The international locations with democratic techniques of presidency made their alternative of parliamentary or presidential system primarily based on their historical past, tradition and aspirations of the individuals. Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and so forth. selected parliamentary democracy; whereas the USA, France and Germany and so forth. adopted presidential techniques. All these international locations are operating their nationwide and worldwide affairs easily and offering a lifetime of peace, prosperity, and justice to their residents for greater than two centuries. Throughout these 2 hundred years of established democratic governments, none of those nations ever considered changing their system by one other system. There have been cases in historical past when their techniques confronted issues. However these nations resolved the scenario by knowledge and statesmanship, political expertise, public debates, parliamentary resolutions, and constitutional measures; not by changing the system. If ever something modified to resolve the issue, it was the “person” not the system. When wanted, the “person” was faraway from workplace, the system was stored intact. The “vital force” behind profitable working of political system of a nation is its nationwide character and integrity and democratic spirit of its leaders.
Founding fathers of Pakistan had been educated and educated within the political environments of British parliamentary system and so they envisaged it for Pakistan. Nonetheless, the vanguard of Pakistan motion left this world inside just a few years of creation of the brand new state, when the method of formation of the system for the brand new state was nonetheless within the melting pot and had but to evolve. A non-elected and despotic Governor Normal took over the nation and dismissed the elected Constituent Meeting. Sadly sufficient, the judiciary supported his motion. For the subsequent 5 years, the nation was underneath a powerful governor rule and a weak parliament. These years of our historical past had been years of political chaos as a result of an influence hungry governor basic’s sturdy grip over the ability and lack of unity and self-discipline among the many politicians. Nonetheless, the constituent meeting was, ultimately, capable of body the primary democratic structure of Pakistan, the “1956 Constitution” with parliamentary type of authorities. Beneath this structure, elections for nationwide and provincial assemblies had been to be held in early 1959. That might have been the start of the journey of true democracy in Pakistan. Nonetheless, on 28 October 1958, martial regulation was imposed, and this foray over the brand new structure on the daybreak of democracy nipped the parliamentary system and the democracy within the bud. Parliamentary system was declared a “failure” even earlier than it may work in its true type. The nation remained underneath the navy rule of Normal Ayub Khan for 10 and half years (October 1958 – March 1969). Ayub Khan promulgated his personal structure of 1962 with presidential system and assumed the place of President of Pakistan. He shaped his political get together from among the many feudal lords, industrialists, and capitalists, who all had their very own vested pursuits. The get together didn’t have roots within the plenty, and Ayub Khan needed to rule with an iron hand. Basic rights remained suspended, about 303 senior bureaucrats, who insisted on operating the federal government in keeping with rule of enterprise, had been sacked. Senior politicians, together with many who had been a part of the Pakistan motion, had been both jailed or had been disqualified from collaborating in politics. Press freedom was curbed. Voice of the general public, intelligentsia, writers and poets, was suppressed. Within the preliminary years of Ayub authorities, the nation confirmed good financial progress. However the advantages of this progress didn’t attain right down to plenty. Poor received poorer and remained disadvantaged of very primary amenities of life. With time, Ayub Khan grew to become unpopular among the many public, significantly in East Pakistan. After the 1965 warfare the tempo of financial progress couldn’t be maintained and the federal government ran right into a critical disaster of stability of cost. Costs of sugar and different commodities had been rising past widespread man’s price range. Plenty had been struggling to make the ends meet. Finally, a well-liked surge swept away Ayub Khan’s authorities, sarcastically at a time when he was celebrating 10 years of his rule as “Decade of Development” and the government-controlled radio and tv had been chanting the official refrain: Rahbar-e-mohtaram hum teray sath hain.
Was it a failure of the presidential system or of Ayub Khan and his group? A group of honest, trustworthy, and competent individuals, appearing in keeping with the regulation and structure, respecting democratic rights and following democratic norms, and related with plenty at grassroots degree, would have accomplished some good for the nation even underneath this ‘not so democratic’ presidential system of 1962 structure. However they failed as a result of the “vital force” of integrity of the leaders and the nationwide character was lacking. Departure of Normal Ayub resulting in the elections of December 1970 gave hope to the nation for a greater future. Mr. Bhutto emerged as a stalwart of democracy from this election. Nonetheless, opposite to democratic norms, he refused to simply accept the fitting of the bulk get together from East Pakistan to type the federal government and was supported by the generals. Consequently, East Pakistan revolted, after which: All of the king’s horses and all of the king’s males, couldn’t put Humpty collectively once more.
On 14th August 1973, Pakistan received a brand new structure with consensus of all political events and the nation began a brand new period of parliamentary democracy underneath the management of Mr. Bhutto. Nonetheless, democratically elected Mr. Bhutto dominated the nation as a dictator. He nationalised industries, banks and company companies proper on the day considered one of assuming energy, with out due research, planning and a sensible work plan. This sudden and drastic motion crippled the economic system. Political opponents, journalists, even his personal get together males who dared to disagree with him, had been put behind bars. On completion of the primary time period of his authorities, new elections had been held. Opposition events blamed that elections had been rigged and launched a mass motion demanding contemporary elections. Mr. Bhutto and opposition politicians failed to succeed in an answer. The nation got here to a halt as a result of huge public agitation. Consequently, the navy intervened and took over the federal government, and Mr. Bhutto was executed. As soon as once more, we misplaced the observe of democracy. However the place lies the fault? Was it due to any flaw within the system, or as a result of we didn’t comply with the system!
For the subsequent 11 years, Normal Zia ul Haq did all he may do to depoliticise the society and make the nation an authoritarian non secular state. Normal Zia died in a airplane crash. After the tragic demise of Normal Zia, basic elections had been held in 1988 by which the nation rejected his mannequin of presidency and elected Ms. Benazir Bhutto – the individual whom Normal Zia tried to maintain out of energy for 11 years. The forces who had been operating the nation after Normal Zia, weren’t pleased with Ms. Benazir changing into the prime minister. Opposition events used the chance to destabilise her authorities and her personal errors offered President Ishaq Khan, Normal Zia’s successor and his proper hand man, the chance to make use of the eight modification to dismiss her authorities, when she has been in workplace just for 20 months. Three successive elected governments had been eliminated in simply eight years utilizing the axe of the eighth modification, and the fourth one was eliminated at gunpoint by Normal Musharraf. Normal Musharraf ran the nation for the subsequent eight years, sarcastically with the assistance of the teams who had been up to now branded as anti-Pakistan and terrorists by his personal navy institution. Beneath stress from Normal Musharraf, the parliament handed 17th modification to the structure which allowed him to rule the nation as a Normal in uniform, holding the “civilian office” of the president of Pakistan and on the similar time holding the workplace of the Chief of Military Workers. The 17th modification was the “eighth wonder” within the political historical past of the world and a disgrace for the politicians who handed it. On this “Game of Thrones.”’ the political events with their hereditary management, the judiciary, and different forces that matter, all performed a task to govern the system, overtly violating the regulation, the structure, and established democratic norms. Our historical past of these years is stuffed with corruption, conspiracies, deception, kidnappings, political assassinations, bloodshed, and different horrible crimes. The occasions of soiled politics of these days are so sensational that Mario Puzo may have written a novel on them, rather more sensational than his Godfather. Our methods of operating the nation haven’t modified until this present day. Folks don’t see any enchancment of their deteriorating socio-economic situations. They’re pissed off by the current political tradition. They don’t seem to be within the seesaw video games of fixing the system from parliamentary to presidential or presidential to parliamentary, from civilian to navy or navy to civilian. Disappointment of the plenty from the system has created indifference in the direction of nationwide points. A damaging mass psychology is creating within the society resulting in anarchy. Individuals are getting violent. They’re shedding respect for the regulation. Incidences of assault on police by the general public are occurring virtually day by day. Folks get hysterical on strange accidents or crimes dedicated by people, block highways and injury private and non-private property. Some neighbourhoods don’t pay electrical payments and when energy is disconnected they burn the grid stations. And it’s not solely the laymen, the educated class publicly display uncivilised and outrageous behaviour once they lose mood, nonetheless, trivial the trigger could also be. It’s time that we realise the gravity of the scenario. Taking part in seesaw with the system won’t clear up our issues. It’ll create new and extra advanced issues. What we have to change just isn’t the system however our behaviour as a nation, beginning with the elite.
