Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, has deplored the fact that Pakistan’s latest experiment with democracy has failed to deliver and address the challenges facing the country. The system, he said, has been structured around the pivot of protecting the interests of the elite at the cost of poor people in whose name the notion of democracy is being brought into disrepute. He said that the political forces across the party divide do not realize the gravity of the situation and lack creativity to find solutions to the problems. The military rule and civilian democracy, he added, are the two sides of the same coin, which mean nothing to the man in the street except the perpetuation of an exploitative political and economic order.

Dr Abbasi expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, which called on him from Okara in his office at the MQI’s central secretariat. He said that the major sign of the failure of the present dispensation is the loss of common man’s hope in the future. He mentioned in the same context that the so-called political class is busy playing the usual tricks of the trade to garner maximum benefits without giving a thought to the seriousness of problems facing the Pakistani state and society. He said that the revival of the politics of 1990s whereby loyalties of the people were purchased has indicted the present democratic system and put a question mark on the ability of the political elite to steer the ship of the country out of unchartered waters.

Dr Abbasi said that in the absence of dynamic national counter-terrorism strategy marked by strong political will, the forces of terrorism and extremism are rearing their head again, which is sufficiently demonstrated by the recent upsurge in the terrorist incidents. He said that Karachi has fallen prey to target killings and poor law and order situation but the government remains unmoved to fix the problem in the financial hub of Pakistan. Dr Abbasi warned the government of the heavy consequences the nation would have to pay in case of the government’s procrastination and delayed policy response.

He urged the workers of PAT to stay focused on spreading public awareness, stressing that only a credible leadership can put Pakistan back on the rails. The members of delegation discussed organizational matters with Dr Abbasi.