Democracy is Itself a Threat to Muslim Unity and Nurtures Division

The Pakistan People's Party believes that the prevailing political situation has the potential of derailing democratic process and eventually posing a threat to the unity of Pakistan's federation. Resolutions adopted at a meeting of the party's central executive committee held at Bilawal House in Karachi on 26 August 2014 said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Awami Tehrik and the PML-N would be held responsible if something untoward happened to democratic system. However, it is Democracy itself that causes discord and disunity, wherever it is implemented.

Democracy is a system of governance which allocates state's resources and attention according to the political power of different groups in the society. Those groups enjoying more political power and having more political weight, influence the legislative agenda of the state, and get more resources and more concessions from the state. Thus a democratic state only guarantees the rights of those citizens who can generate enough political pressure on the state that the state cedes to their demands. Therefore the idea of representative governance in democracy generates a feeling of insecurity amongst different groups in the society as they struggle to draw the state's attention to their demands. Thus democratic governance encourages divisions, factions and groupings in the society where each faction competes with the other for the attention of the state. This phenomenon is seen wherever there is democracy, with all manner of groups fighting for their rights. Democratic politics has encouraged the formation of many factions in Pakistan based on ethnicity, race, nationality and religious difference of opinion.

In Islam, citizens' rights are guaranteed by Shariah and not through access to political power by different factions. Unlike democracy, Islam does not believe that representatives of the people should make the laws which govern them. In democracy such a methodology naturally results in discriminatory behaviour of the state against groups or factions which do not enjoy enough political clout to influence the legislative agenda of the state.

Such discriminatory behaviour in result increases factional animosity amongst different groups and encourages severe and damaging competition between them causing fractures and divisions in the society. Although the Khalifah in Islam is elected, however neither he nor the elected members of the Majlis e Ummah have the right to make laws. The Khalifah is bound to implement the Islamic Shariah and rule according to its provisions.

Islam rejects the politics of factions. In Islam the resources of the state are distributed amongst its citizens according to the rules of Shariah and not according to the political weight of different factions in the society. The Islamic Shar'a has prohibited the Khalifah from discriminating and differentiating between his subjects based on their race, ethnicity or religion or school of thought, rather it has ordered him to secure the rights of the citizens of the Islamic state solely on the basis of Islamic legal injunctions.

Dealing with the Hostile Hindu State Necessitates Vision that the Current Regime Woefully Lacks

Pakistan and India have agreed on de-escalation along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary that have lately witnessed frequent violations of the ceasefire accord. The decision on ending hostilities was taken on 26 August during a conversation between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan talked on the hot-line. The conversation took place on Pakistan's call.

Submissive actions before a belligerent state are a fatal mistake. It is the regime's policies that have bolstered Indian aggression against us, whether in the recent border tensions or previous ones. Since the Clinton era, the regime's master, America, has wanted to exploit Pakistan to win over India to its sphere of influence, with the promise of the permanent burial of the Kashmir issue, enhancing India's presence in Afghanistan, strengthening India's economy by gaining access to our huge market and the reduction of our military capabilities, including our nuclear weapons. India breathed a sigh of relief as Kashmir was abandoned and our armed forces are now ensnared in America's war of Fitna, as made clear in General Raheel's revision to the army's military doctrine in the Green Book during the time of Kayani. All this is how India has the nerve to look our armed forces in the eye today.

A visionary leadership would deal with the Hindu State on a hostile footing, working to utilize advantages over this aggressive enemy. India's current foot hold in Afghanistan, granted to her by the occupying American forces, is purely dependent on Pakistan, its logistical support, its intelligence and its professionally competent armed forces. The Hindu state is a fragile rule, with a tendency to collapse. It is based on bigotry to the point that there are a myriad of secessionist groups, which seek the division of India. It is incapable of providing security and prosperity to non-Hindus or even Hindus of lower castes. The Hindu state is energy dependent on the huge gas and oil reserves with the Muslim Lands and upon Pakistan for access to these resources. Islam is a unifying force for the Muslims of South and Central Asia that are over half a billion in number, of which nearly 200 million are in the Hindu state itself. The combined forces of the Islamic Ummah is approaching six million, those of the Hindu state stand at one million. The call for Khilafah "Caliphate" has permeated through Central and South Asia, so the platform for the reunification of the Muslim Lands is in place. Moreover, there are many non-hostile non-Muslim states in the region who resent American and Indian aggression on their doorstep. They are also amenable to access to the huge resources of the Muslim Lands.

RasulAllah's (saw) Example is the Way out of the Current Crisis

Pakistan is paralyzed by the standoff between the opposition and the ruling party. The Prophet's (saw) example is for all of us to follow. The methodology for change is not mass mobilization, demonstrations or sit-ins. The methodology for change is seeking material support for your political agenda. Material support is provided by the people of power, those who have authority and strength to change the government in one day, albeit a few hours. In Pakistan's case, they are the Armed forces.

The Prophet (saw) sought material support (seeking Nussrah) for Islam from the leaders of powerful tribes and he persisted on this method despite being rejected continuously. He persisted on this approach till the two tribes of Madina, the Aaus and Khazraj agreed to provide unconditional Nussrah to Islam. The persistence of Prophet Muhammad on continuing to seek Nussrah even though he faced physical and verbal abuse during the process is an indication of the obligation of sticking to this methodology for bringing change. Had seeking the material support been a matter of choice in the struggle to bring Islam to dominance and power, the Prophet (saw) would have turned away from it and sought another more easier approach for his agenda. But he did not change course. This points to the obligation of seeking Nussrah from the people of power being the method to bring Islam in authority.

And we now know that it is the practical way. The issue is not devising a political agenda. The issue is devising and getting the political agenda implemented. And there is a big gap between a group of people demanding an agenda and that agenda being implemented. That gap is full-filled by the people of power. Any man made agenda devised by a political party or a cleric is doomed to fail. The only political agenda worth implementing for a nation which believes in Islam is the political agenda presented by the Prophet of Islam. Let us support this agenda, Khilafah "Caliphate" for Pakistan and the Muslim World through the support of the Armed forces.

Abolish America's Horse in Pakistan, Democracy

Throughout the lengthy stand off between Pakistan's ruling party and the opposition, that led to spilling of Muslim blood and disruption in the country, America repeatedly stressed its one concern, the continuation of Democracy in Pakistan. So in the build up to the crisis, the US Ambassador, Richard Olson, busily met the different factions, underlining that America will only accept change within the current framework, according to the constitution of Democracy. Then, as the crisis began to deepen, the US State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Marie Harf, said on 22 August 2014 that the US ambassador, "meets quite frequently with a range of officials, and I believe that's where the contact has occurred" and then again stressed upon acting according to the constitution of democracy. Then on 29 August, as the confrontation heightened towards violent confrontation, with the country in paralysis, the US State Department Spokesperson, Jen Psaki, stressed yet again the importance of democracy, saying that "peaceful protests and freedom of expression" were "important aspects of democracy." America's determined and insistent pursuit of democracy is for the sake of securing her own interests in Pakistan. This is why in a 12 December 2012 interview to the BBC, when asked about betting who would win Pakistan's May 2013 elections, the US Ambassador Richard Olson confidently declared, "Our horse is democracy." Yes indeed, it is democracy that America steers according to its will, regardless of who comes to ride as jockey upon it.

Democracy is America's horse in Pakistan because it is a system of disobedience of Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw). Democracy assigns assemblies of men and women as sovereign, allowing them to ignore all that Allah (swt) has revealed and make laws according to their whims and desires, even though Allah (swt) said,

((وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ))

"And judge between them by all that Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires, and beware (O Muhammad) that they might seduce you from some of what Allah has sent down to you." [Surah Al-Maaida 5:49].

It is this democracy gives the right to any ruler, minister or member of assembly to command what Allah (swt) has forbidden or forbid what Allah (swt) has commanded.

America insists upon Democracy in Pakistan because it is what is preventing Islam from being implemented and ensuring the Kufr of Capitalism in its place. So through Democracy, America ensures that Pakistan's immense energy and mineral wealth is exploited by privatization, preventing Pakistan from becoming independent and strong economically. And it is through Democracy that American ensures Pakistan's powerful armed forces are reduced to a weak, submissive mercenary force that are sent across the world to secure Western interests, but are confined to the barracks when the Muslims of Palestine and Kashmir call them for liberation.