According to Abraham Lincoln democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. In other words, the ultimate power rests with the people who form the electorate to elect their representatives. Thus, the sovereignty lies in the people and is manifested through their opinion and will. It is a political set-up by consent of the voters. In the genuine democracy, the consent of the people is active and effective. People exercise this consent from time to time indirectly through their elected representatives. The consent given to the representatives to govern and make laws can be withdrawn by the people when they so desire. Pakistan is a democratic country. Here the will and consent of the majority prevail. It is the government in which each and every person has some participation and some share. Democracy provides for the expression and development of the individuals.
Democracy In Pakistan
In Pakistan every person is equal before law. Each and every human being is guaranteed freedom to provide himself to the fullest possible extent without any hinderance. Equality is the essence of democracy and all the citizens have equality of opportunity but it never means regimentation and rigid uniformity. As a nation Pakistan is one but as individuals the citizens are free to allow their own individual faith, religion, desires and ways of life. The Pakistani constitution grants and guarantees all the basic freedoms and rights to its citizens. The fundamental rights are justiciable, inequality, injustice, gross neglect of the poor and deprivation.
Pakistan is the largest democracy in the world and has completed 60 years of its existence. During the course of this period many general elections have been held and governments changed at the Centre and the States. Democracy is the great institution and so likely to be greatly abused in the absence of proper checks and balances. For want of enlightenment, literacy and education it can easily degenerate into mobocracy and the government of fools and utter selfish and ambitious people. Defection and desertion is another great danger to Pakistani democracy. Political leaders without policies, programs and principles often change their loyalties from one faction to another for petty personal. Hence, we can say that there should be transparency in election funding, electioneering and expenditure of the candidates. Often the party in power misuses electronic media for its electioneering purpose. All these evils should be checked and eliminated for maintaining the democracy in Pakistan.
