Democracy is a right guaranteed under our constitution to every citizen of Pakistan, regardless of his or her station in life. Democracy is what keeps the body politic healthy and brings transformation and is an incubator for diverse ideas which makes a nation strong and durable.
Our democratic way of life is under siege in Pakistan today and we stand at the precipice, from which we are determined to pull back and reinvigorate our nation. While reading on democracy and democratic principles, I came across a very interesting quote from a writer who says, “It is not the voting that’s democracy, it is the counting”. This quote aptly describes the struggle that the constituent parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement are carrying out against the current setup, which has usurped the rights of the citizens of Pakistan by stealing their votes and “electing” candidates who came through vote manipulation of the worst kind that this country has ever seen. PDM was formed in September 2020, around the slogan of “Vote ko Izzat Do”, a clarion call for every citizen of Pakistan to come out and fight for their right to freely choose their representatives without undemocratic machinations.
What compounds the matter is the fact that almost every hardworking Pakistani is reeling from the misguided, reckless, and foolhardy policy decisions being carried out by this government. When a post-mortem of this government is carried out after its ouster, a litany of errors, huge scams, and amateur decisions will speak volumes of the crises this government has left Pakistan in. Whether it is shortage of wheat and sugar, or it is international embarrassment, this government has ensured that they go out of their way harm its own people and to also dent Pakistan’s prestige. As this article is being written, eggs, which are the basic necessity of Pakistanis, have touched 216/dozen, which is simply criminal. The PMLN – along with other political parties – decided that enough was enough and that they cannot allow Imran Khan and his machinery to destroy Pakistan just for the sake of allowing a government – especially an illegitimate one – to complete its 5 years tenure.
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is one of those once in a generation leaders who due to their vision and foresight become statesmen. Today he rules the hearts of millions of Pakistanis who fondly refer to him as a member of their own family, an honor that has been reserved for very few prime ministers, and especially not the incumbent who has destroyed many lives in his quest for power. Mian Nawaz Sharif breathed a new life in the opposition to this charade of a government when he joined social media and then while addressing millions of his fans, he named every individual involved in the destruction of democracy in Pakistan. Thereon it became a question of not if, but when the movement to reclaim Pakistan would begin.
Sensing that the Sharifs will be at the forefront of the restoration of true democracy, the vengeful government immediately had the other leader who is known for his extraordinary hard work and empathy for his people, Mian Shehbaz Sharif. He was arrested on vague charges – as is the government’s wont– and has repeatedly stood in the way of him getting bail so that he could join at the frontline in the fight for his people. Mian Shehbaz Sharif may be in jail, but there isn’t a day when he doesn’t yearn to be with his people in their struggle for democracy and their rights. Every large project which the people of Punjab are benefiting from has been delivered by Mian Shehbaz Sharif, not for glory or vanity as the incumbent government does, but because he identified the issues that affect people and rapidly mobilized to fix them. Just on this account he receives the prayers of millions of Pakistanis everyday.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement represents a diverse group of political parties from every corner of the country, having diverse ideologies and cultural background: Pakistan Muslim League (N), Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan, Balochistan National Party (Mengal), National Party (Bizenjo), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Jamiat Ahle-Hadith, and the Qaumi Watan Party.
These parties are not led by just any politicians, but by stalwarts who have the resolve and dedication to help people achieve their aims. Maryam Nawaz Sharif has become an anchor around which the entire PDM has coalesced. After Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, no female leader has captured the entire nation’s imagination quite like her. Plenty has already been written on her role as a daughter, which she has fulfilled par excellence, however, what hasn’t been delved upon nearly enough is the power, the vision, the dedication, the resolve, the nerves of steel, and her ability to look adversity in the eye. There is no challenge difficult enough for her to surmount. Without nary a care about the fact that the government could illegally send her back to jail, she marches on, carrying the hopes of millions of Pakistanis on her shoulders.
These parties are not led by just any politicians, but by stalwarts who have the resolve and dedication to help people achieve their aims. Maryam Nawaz Sharif has become an anchor around which the entire PDM has coalesced. After Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, no female leader has captured the entire nation’s imagination quite like her. Plenty has already been written on her role as a daughter, which she has fulfilled par excellence, however, what hasn’t been delved upon nearly enough is the power, the vision, the dedication, the resolve, the nerves of steel, and her ability to look adversity in the eye. There is no challenge difficult enough for her to surmount. Without nary a care about the fact that the government could illegally send her back to jail, she marches on, carrying the hopes of millions of Pakistanis on her shoulders.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a seasoned leader with a mass appeal amongst the people of Pakistan. As chairman of the Kashmir Committee he made significant efforts and made great headway in highlighting the Kashmir issue on the international stage. Maulana sb’s role in raising the voice for Kashmiris must be doubly appreciated in the backdrop of the fact that India effectively annexed Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir during the current government’s tenure due to their sheer incompetence and neglect of this vital cog in our foreign policy. The people of Pakistan will never forget this betrayal of the Kashmiri brethren.
Similarly, all leaders including Asfandyar Wali Khan, Owais Noorani, and all other senior leaders and workers bring a unique power to this movement, which has been strengthened due to this diversity.
The government has been trying its best from the start to discount the PDM as a force to reckon with, and has attempted to hijack the movement by arresting and/or persecuting politicians associated with the constituent parties of the PDM. The only way to dislodge from the position of Prime Minister that Imran Khan has illegally occupied, the PDM decided to launch a series of public gatherings (jalsas), and eventually march on Islamabad if he doesn’t resign.
The first PDM jalsa set the stage for a power show, having a phenomenal and an historic turnout by people from all walks of life. The old came because they were unhappy to see what has become of their country, the youth came because they were worried about their future, the housewife came because she was struggling to balance her house budget, the father came because he was struggling to pay for his children’s education. People came together to give a final warning to the government and their backers that their time and experimentation with their lives was over. This jalsa put the PDM on the map and gave it an energy which isn’t even looking like dissipating anytime soon.
After Gujranwala, similar large jalsas were held in Karachi and Quetta, where the government again tried to stop people from attending, but to no avail. People streamed from all cities listen to their leaders. The continued success of the jalsas became a cause of grave concern for the PTI government as the popularity of PDM was rising by the day directly in proportion to the misery increasing in the lives of citizens. Failing to placate people, the government decided to heavily crackdown on PDM leaders and workers right before the Multan jalsa, which resulted in the arrests of over 2500 workers from all parties. This heavy-handed action only resulted in the PDM gaining more momentum and more people were drawn to its just cause. So by D-day, all efforts by the government failed, and the PDM jalsa was a phenomenal success. This can alone be gauged by the sights one could see of the ocean of people surrounding Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s entourage, with people reaching out to her to show their love and affection to the lioness who had come to their city to fight for them. This show of love and affection for Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the PMLN was unprecedented, and became an unmitigated disaster for the government and its attempts to drown this sea of people in the ocean of its fascism.
“All roads lead to Islamabad through Lahore”, it then makes sense that the final salvo – the final ultimatum – to the PTI government be issued in the heart of Punjab. No better venue could have been chosen than the Minar-e-Pakistan to hold, what turned out to be a mammoth rally, which struck deep wounds in the psyche of this government, wounds from which it has yet to recover. Days leading to the PDM jalsa were replete with conspiracies that PDM constituent parties are at loggerheads, that not enough people will turn out, that NOC wont be granted to the jalsa, and the icing on the cake was the PTI government – in panic mode – deciding to ban all public gatherings on account of spreading COVID-19. A prohibition which seemed only to target the PDM jalsa as the PTI ministers and members of parliament were busy holding their rallies all across the country. None of the government’s antics mattered on D-day, when not just Lahore, but the entire country turned out to demand a restoration of their rights under the shadow of the Minar-e-Pakistan, which symbolizes our yearning for freedom from all oppression
It was indeed a sight to behold, the thousands upon thousands of people waving flags of Pakistan, and those of their parties in the cold winter night. Despite the government’s attempt to downplay the jalsa, there were people as far as the eye could see, and indeed roads were blocked for several kilometers by those wanting to get into the jalsa-gah. Neither the cold, nor the threats of arrest could stop the people of Lahore from turning out in record numbers to stand with their leaders and workers people from coming. The Jalsa was more successful than anybody could have envisioned, so much so that the government spokespersons were denying the strength of the jalsa for several days after it happened, which speaks volumes of the actual success of the jalsa. The crowds roared with glee and delight when their leaders stepped up to the podium to deliver speeches which struck terror in the hearts of this government.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, in her element as a fiery orator, whipped up the crowd into a thunderous mood, who returned her calls for justice and equality with equal gusto. One could not only see the reflection of her father and uncle in her, but also something which is very unique and which shakes the government to its core – the fact that a woman has risen to seek justice for her people. Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the torchbearer of equality and justice the way our maadar-e-millat Fatimah Jinnah was who took on the might of the Ayub Khan’s regime, and also in the way of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who took on the Musharraf regime.
Post the successful PDM Lahore Jalsa, the constituent parties of PDM have issued a “Lahore Declaration” which may be explained as the broad framework of a new social contract between the citizens of Pakistan and those who seek to serve them in any capacity. The salient features of this declaration are that free and fair elections be held, the current hybrid regime be removed, media must have the freedom to report on any matter without pressure, the judiciary be allowed freedom to decide cases strictly on the basis of applicable law, and foremost, the constitution of Pakistan be followed in letter and spirit. Furthermore, the declaration also acknowledges the severe economic hardship that the country is facing on account of flawed policies of the government and promises the nation to give them relief when free and fair elections are held to elect them. In addition, in light of the PTI government literally gifting IOJK to India and the recent attempts to establish relations with Israel, the PDM parties have emphatically stated that they will never compromise on the freedom and dignity of our brothers and sisters in Kashmir and Palestine.
It must be noted with great admiration that all members of the opposition in parliament have tendered their resignations to the leaders of their respective parties to submit them in parliament if need be. I must express pride in the fact that parliamentarians from PMLN have spearheaded this form of protest at the instructions of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the party leadership. It remains to be seen if this incompetent government sees the writing on the wall and willingly goes home, if not, then the PDM parties will have no choice but to mobilize the entire nation and go on a long march to Islamabad to besiege the government in an expression of their democratic right to protest the harshness and vindictive policies of this government towards its own people. The Pakistani nation has awakened, and is spearheaded by leaders who have taken an oath to protect the dignity and respect of each and every citizen of Pakistan. Inshallah, we will succeed.