Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has once again taken charge of the reins of the PML-N party in Pakistan. Over the past decade, there has been a tug-of-war between two main political parties in the country, but now a third party has made its intentions clear. It seems that real change is on the horizon, not just through slogans, speeches, or writings, but through a genuine shift in the mood of the people.
Currently, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan, there are 166 political parties and one political alliance in the country. This list grows longer in the world of the internet. What is surprising is that all political parties in the country believe in democracy. Whether it’s a presidential system or parliamentary, a technocratic government or an elected one, all political factions and intelligent minds seem to agree that democracy is essential in the country.
After the demise of the Islamic Democratic Alliance, when the party emerged in 1993, its leadership has not been able to break away from the Sharif family. In other words, they did not consider the senior members of the party worthy enough to lead. Except for the time when the party was in disarray during the Martial Law era, and all four Javed Hashmi became a necessity for the party. There hasn’t been a significant moment when party leadership has been handed to someone outside the family.
In Pakistan, all political parties are committed to democracy at the party level and democracy at the national level. Those like the PML-N cannot break away from the Sharif family. The PPP is a prisoner of the Bhutto family, and interestingly, the two parties registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan bear the leadership of Zardari and Bilawal respectively. Even the JUI-F is unwilling to break away from its family heritage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Leaders like Sherpao, Miltan Pir, Wadera, and Shah, among others, have strengthened their family heritage within their respective parties. The only party that has been able to run the party democratically for a long time is JI, but that does not appeal to the Pakistani public.
There is an apparent tyranny of democracy in Pakistan. The parties have emerged from the cesspool clean and now they find democracy acceptable. But the point is that times have changed, thinking is evolving, and your authoritarianism will soon be questioned.
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