Islamabad – As Pakistan celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence this year, political turbulence and chronic problems such as low literacy and inadequate health services persist. But there is another untold story: Pakistan is experiencing a cultural and political reinvigoration.
A genuine media revolution – with over 30 independent television channels – is projecting Pakistan s many colors, divergent views and rich and dynamic culture. A new widespread cultural spirit is also discernible in Pakistan s music, drama and art, deep in colour and texture, displaying a great feeling of joy and engagement with the senses.
Alongside inflation, corruption, insecurity, the continuing tussles in Baluchistan, and the warring zones of the tribal areas exists a sense of renewal, of grudging joy. The joy, however, belongs to restricted zones. This renewal in Pakistan therefore remains largely unseen by the outside world.
Yet this new rhythm is emerging parallel to Pakistan s chronic problems of military-guided democracy, intolerance and violent armed militias.
Television talk shows have become as popular as entertainment programs. At dizzying speed, the average Pakistani is becoming more educated on national issues. Across the ideological, class and ethnic divides, Pakistanis unify, participating in media debates.
Bridging these divides is the struggle for fair play. For example, the desire for justice connects two seemingly ideologically opposed groups: those who have relentlessly fought for rule of law with those in Lal Masjid who repeatedly broke the law.
The lawyers movement, whose demonstrations resulted in Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry s reinstatement, and the Taliban who took over Darra Adam Khel, a small town in Pakistan s Northwest Frontier Province, also share a common goal.
Despite their divide on an ideological axis, both want justice through an enforced rule of law. The armed Taliban demands that the government and the national Jirga, or council of elders, assure them that there will be no more kidnappings, carjackings, issuance of fake degrees and other educational documents, sale or purchase of wine, narcotics and other un-Islamic activities in the area.
The Taliban, whose predecessors had fought in the heavily armed anti-Soviet jihad, have opted for armed resistance against injustice and have therefore been excluded by the state, while the professional urban-trained law community instead opted for peaceful, determined resistance. Led by the lawyers, they have stood up peacefully for the rule of law, not for individual political leaders. They want a system with a functioning structure in which the powerful are finally held accountable.
While clashes between the security forces and militias and killings from suicide bombings worry Pakistanis, there is a newly emerging reality that can potentially dominate this turbulent period of contesting ideologies and armed men. This is the reality of divergent groups uniting around the call for justice. In a context of increasing divides, this new convergence is a much-needed uniting ideology in the making.
The Pakistani people are proudly adopting a new model for substantive change.
Pakistanis have tasted civil action s success. Institutions are becoming more professional. The Supreme Court is a prime example: it has issued three rulings in the last five weeks which have signaled its independence. The July 20 restoration of the Chief Justice was a crucial first step. Its Aug. 23 decision to allow the former Prime Minister to return unobstructed after a seven-year exile has vastly strengthened the civilian political forces too. The Supreme Court is vetting the moves made by the presidency, the ruling party and the intelligence agencies against the Constitution. Even opposition leader Benazir Bhutto s hesitation in supporting a military president and the Aug. 8 decision to refrain from imposing emergency law are all positive first steps that testify to a new adherence to democratic values.
All this new, unifying energy makes for a great backdrop for democracy in Pakistan. Contemporary tools of communication and interaction – such as the media, greater mobility and a growing global collective of status quo critics – have helped this context develop.
Ironically, a general and president with democratic proclivities, Pervez Musharraf is responsible for the paradox of Pakistan: a flourishing framework on the wobbly footing of democracy. Lawyers and the media have begun administering accountability, but only fair and free elections can ensure institutionalised accountability.
Pakistanis are already beginning to create an environment within which a credible democracy can function. Civil society is leading the movement to restore Pakistan to a constitutional democracy. There is emerging consensus that a credible, functioning constitutional democracy alone can help resolve issues of contesting ideologies, of marginalization and of exclusion, thereby minimizing conflict, intolerance and rage.
The gradual but determined advance of the Pakistani state and society towards the rule of law heralds a new dawn in Pakistan. Not without its difficulties, Pakistan has begun its journey to adulthood.
Nasim Zehrais a writer and a fellow at the Harvard University Asia Center. She was previously an adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
