Pakistan celebrates the 71st anniversary of its independence in the wake of a historic second consecutive democratic transition, with a new government taking charge and pledging to change the country’s destiny. It marks Pakistan’s longest uninterrupted elected civilian rule — a milestone in the country’s rocky democratic journey. The people have voted for change and expectations are high. A smooth transfer of power from one elected government to another has removed the cloud of political uncertainty, although not entirely. The challenges faced by the country, both internal and external, are massive.

The crisis of the Pakistani state is rooted deep in the political fault lines. Since its creation as an independent state, carved out from the Indian subcontinent in 1947, Pakistan has alternated between authoritarian military regimes and ineffective elected civilian rule. For most of its history, the country has been ruled by the powerful military, with short spans of democracy in between. The frequent disruption of political process stunted the growth of democratic institutions and values.

The fundamental power structure has not changed much over the last 70 years. A very small but powerful elite has dominated the country’s political scene under civilian as well as military rule. Political instability has retarded economic progress. Despite the economic and social changes that have taken place over the past 70 years, the stranglehold of family-oriented politics remains deeply entrenched. Hailing mostly from rural land-owning and tribal backgrounds, a limited number of influential families continue to control Pakistani legislatures.

A sense of dynastic entitlement dominates the country’s political culture, which has impeded the development of institutional democracy. With few exceptions, almost all the political parties are an extension of powerful families with hereditary leadership. Over the years, families from urban, religious and military backgrounds have also emerged onto the political scene, but this has not fundamentally changed the personalized and dynastic political culture.

Governance remains a major problem area in Pakistan’s quest for a sustainable democratic process. Worsening internal security, weak state authority and failing state institutions have undermined Pakistan’s political stability. The failure of elected governments to deliver on governance and economic stability has dealt a serious blow to the credibility of the democratic system among the populace, in turn strengthening undemocratic forces.

Notwithstanding the structural problems, Pakistan has taken significant strides forward. The 2018 elections may not have changed the basic power structure in the country, yet the changing of the guards and the continuation of the democratic process have raised hopes for a better future for the country.

With the numbers game over, Imran Khan is now well set to become the country’s 21st prime minister, bringing to a culmination his 22-year struggle in pursuit of political power. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is also now poised to form the government in Punjab — the country’s biggest and most powerful province. It was already in the saddle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and will be a part of an emerging ruling coalition in Balochistan. It is indeed a great moment for the new ruling party.

Khan’s conciliatory stance in his victory speech has raised hopes for a return of some rationality to Pakistan’s politics. He certainly sounded more circumspect and prudent as he laid down the priorities of the incoming administration, promising greater focus on institution building, human development and the alleviation of poverty.

This is all good, but things are not as simple as they sound. It will require more than populist rhetoric to move forward. The challenges are grave and difficult for any administration to deal with, perhaps more so for a minority government that is dependent on a coalition of disparate groups and a leader with no prior experience of government. The new administration will be constrained by the worsening state of the economy and civilian institutions being in a state of utter shambles. The crisis of governance is much more serious than it appears.

Like his civilian predecessors, Khan will also have to deal with the perennial problem of civil-military relations. The issue of the imbalance of power is inherent in the system, given the overarching shadow of the military over the political spectrum.

The imbalance of power can only be resolved through strengthening parliament and other civilian institutions, and good governance. It is certainly not going to happen overnight. It will be tough going for the new prime minister and one hopes he can deliver on his promises. While this uninterrupted political process is a turning point in Pakistani politics, there is still a long way to go before the struggling democracy takes root.

Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in Washington.

Courtesy: www.arabnews.pk