Democracy
in Pakistan
By Dr. Ghayur Ayub
London, UK
Pakistan was created in 1947 by one of the greatest
democrats Mr Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He told his
army officers in 1948, “You have to do your
duty as servants; you are not concerned with this
or that political party; that is not your business.”
Four years later, in 1952, General Ayub Khan told
the American Consul General Mr Gibson, “The
Pakistan Army will not allow the political leaders
to get out of hand, and the same is true regarding
the people of Pakistan.”
In 1958, he imposed Martial Law at a time when
the country was just 11 years old.
From the age of five, Pakistan has been experiencing
two types of democracy:
• Demoralised Democracy run by the political
leaders under the shadow of military intrigues.
Such a democratic dispensation never completed
its tenure.
• Militarized Democracy run either directly
by the Generals or indirectly through corrupt
civilians. Such a democracy always completed its
tenure.
Pakistan deserves better. It deserves Real Democracy.
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