Why Pakistan Needs Democracy

By Editor on 27th November 2025 • ( 0 )

Why Pakistan Needs Democracy

On Facebook wall, there is an opinion of some journalists, who have opined that Islam does not support democracy and it also does not suit Pakistan. Some intellectuals have commented on the stance of theses journalists, who have also strongly stated that democracy has failed in the whole world.

I would briefly like to comment on this serious topic. Instead of rejecting democracy, I would like to say, either democracy does not suit Pakistanis or Pakistanis do not suit democracy. Democracy is not only a political system; it is a culture and a mindset. Communism and monarchy are absolute dictatorships. Has democracy failed in Britain, France, Germany and Canada?

Great British philosopher Bertrand Russell in his book titled “Proposed Roads to Serfdom”, has criticized the Absolutism and dictatorial regimes under Marxian Socialism. Another Austrian-British great economist and philosopher Friedrich Hayek wrote a book in 1944 titled “The Road to Serfdom”. In this book, Hayek unveils the dangers of tyranny and fascism, that inevitably result from government control of economic decisions making through central planning. He further argues that the abandonment of individualism inevitably leads to a loss of freedom, the creation of an oppressive society, the tyranny of a dictator and the serfdom of the individual.

So far as Islam and democracy are concerned, in my book titled “The Message of Islam”, published in New York in 2005 in detail, in a chapter captioned “Political Thought of Islam”, I have shed light on this topic. The Holy Quran while addressing the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Surah Ale-Imran in verse 259 says:

“Take counsel with them on the conduct of matters.”

Then the Quran in the Surah Shoora in verse 38 says:

“Their way is to counsel among themselves.”

It is about the counselling of the companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and a precedent for the Muslims till doomsday. General counselling means an evolutionary process of democracy. These verses clearly state that Islam honours the opinion of people. Islam is a democratic religion.

Once, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that his Ummah will never gather on wrong decisions. By saying so, he encouraged the opinion and consensus of the Ummah. The people who want to prove that Islam is not a democratic religion, they are the agents of dictators and monarchs. They serve their masters and misinterpret Islam for their own petty worldly gain.

We must differentiate between Western Democracy and Islamic Democracy. In Western Democracy, the red line of morality is crossed. According to the statement of American president Abraham Lincoln, democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people. People are Sovereign power in Western democracy. Parliament can make any law. They can even justify homosexuality. But in Islamic democracy, government is made by the free and fair elections by people, but no law can be made against the Islamic teachings. Forbidden is forbidden and no Islamic parliament can permit the forbidden as permissible. In Islam, Sovereignty lies with Allah.

The founding fathers of Pakistan Dr Allama Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam supported democracy. There are many speeches and statements of Quaid-i-Azam in the support of democracy. Dr Allama Iqbal in a couplet had said:

سُلطانئ جمہور کا آتا ہے زمانہ

جو نقشِ کُہن تم کو نظر آۓ مٹا دو

The epoch of the rule of the people has come;
any ancient trace that you see, erase it

In Pakistan, we need reforms to achieve the goal of democracy. The constitution of Pakistan, declares Pakistan as an Islamic state. Islam believes in human freedom, justice, parity, equality and liberty. These goals can’t be achieved without the establishment of a Welfare state.

For the establishment of a welfare state, we need the participation of people in the formation of government. We must accept that at present, in Pakistan, we have Mobocracy, instead of Democracy. There are some prerequisites for democracy. They are education, social justice, parity, equality and economic welfare.

In poor and illiterate communities, democracy can’t function. There should be legal binding for a voter and the candidate. The voter should be, at least a matriculate and the candidate for provisional and national assembly and for senate should be a graduate; otherwise, it will not be a democracy but mobocracy.

We will have to uproot feudalism, regionalism, parochialism, sectarianism and fascism to plant the sapling of democracy. Dictatorship breeds Nazism, military rule, Fascism and Marxist Socialism. Democracy is the only beacon of hope for humanity and we must strive to establish democratic institutions everywhere in the world.