Factors that transform democracy into dictatorship

In view of the above, therefore, it is not only the military man who becomes a dictator when in power, the civilian too is no exception to the phenomenon. Obviously, it is due to the feudalistic structure of the Pakistani society. The national mosaic is composed of sardars in Balochistan, khans in NWFP, waderas in Sind and landlords I jagirdars in the Punjab. They all hold absolute economic, political and social hold on their tribes, clans, tenants, nationalities and ethnic groups. With the exception of small urban population, people living in rural areas are their virtual slaves. Civil liberties and human rights are simply unknown to them. They ha been kept illiterate for centuries and denied economic empowerment by their lords who feed them on tribal prides and prejudices. They lead them to fight inter-tribal wars and also command them to take up arms against the government whenever their vested interests are threatened.

With every political and economic card of power in the hands of the feudals no one dares to challenge their supremacy. A highly qualified person blessed with all the leadership qualities but of ordinary status cannot even think of standing up to them. If somehow he gets elected he has to become part of feudalistic culture for survival otherwise he stands rejected. Some of the feudals or others coming from elitist classes. may have pretended to be democrats for sonic time but very soon realized the futility of swimming against the current. May it be Zulfikar Au Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif or a military General, the general rule stated above does not change. They must submit to the demands of feudalism. The society is a pyramid of small and big feudal lords. An one who scales the heights of the pyramid and reaches the top has in fact become part of the surrounding environment. He has to identify himself with it otherwise he is an odd man cut. However, a leader who claims to have power of conviction in his cause and has the desire to usher in democratic revolution by overpowering the forces of feudalism has yet to appear on the national scene. His advent is eagerly awaited. How long this unfortunate nation has to wait f me arrival of that super-man is difficult to guess. But come he must. The Nature does not permit state of flux to persist indefinitely.