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 | Liberty triumphs in Pak Our Correspondent The mandate in Pakistan is not definite in the sense that no political party has got a clear majority; yet, it is categorical in its rejection of President Pervez Musharraf. It is prudent on the part of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to bury past rivalries and join hands for the sake of democracy. By the time of writing this edit, the two main Opposition parties had announced they would set up a new government together. PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif seem amenable to the idea of some sort of common minimum programme. "We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form a government together in the Centre and in the provinces," Sharif said. A smaller group, the Awami National Party, would join the two biggest parties. "The future of democracy is within our grasp. We will strengthen democracy… We will work together for Pakistan.," Zardari said. Noble sentiments, fine words. One would like such sentiments and words to translate into real politics; or, to put it in other and clearer terms, good feelings should not get lost in the harsh desert of realpolitik. One soothing fact that has emerged from the recently held polls—which are widely believed to be largely fair—is that the fundamentalist parties do not enjoy wide political support. With all their petrodollars, shrill rhetoric, effigy- and US flag-burning stunts, and indoctrination, the jihadis have not been able to sway the elections. As Amir Taheri, an Iranian-born journalist and author based in Europe, wrote in an article in Wall Street Journal, "Pakistan's election has been portrayed by the Western media as a defeat for President Pervez Musharraf. The real losers were the Islamist parties." In fact, their share of popular vote came down drastically, from almost 11 per cent in the last general election a few years ago to about 3 per cent. Their bark is more menacing than their bite. As Taheri wrote, "Conventional wisdom had it that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the lack of progress in the Israel-Palestine conflict, would provide radical Islamists with a springboard from which to seize power through elections. Analysts in the West used that prospect to argue against the Bush Doctrine of spreading democracy in the Middle East. These analysts argued that Muslims were not ready for democracy, and that elections would only translate into victory for hard-line Islamists." Political freedom has subdued the fire-spewing fundamentalists. It is incumbent upon the votaries of this freedom in Pakistan to ensure that people's faith in democracy is not undermined. The Pak verdict, by the way, is also a sharp retort to the liberals all over the world who lampoon US President George Bush for his tough stance against jihad. Posted on : 2/22/2008 Mail this article to your friend |