The only solution to Pakistan’s multi-faceted crises is an honest

enforcement of the Islamic System

Elections can never resolve the problems of our country.

Lahore (pr): ‘The only solution to Pakistan’s multi-faceted crises is an honest
enforcement of the Islamic System. Without Islam, even the most free and fair
elections cannot resolve the problems of our country.’ This was stated by Ameer
of Tanzeem-e-Islami, Hafiz Akif Saeed, during a debate entitled ‘Are elections the
solution to crises in Pakistan?’ held at Qur’an Auditorium Lahore. Addressing the
gathering, he noted that the ebbs and flows of Muslim nations were never the
same as other nations of the world. He said that this was particularly true in the
case of Pakistan, which had Islam at the heart of its conception. He said that after
independence, the Muslims of Pakistan had ironically departed from the Islamic
Ideology and the Two-Nation Theory, which were not only the bases for the
creation of our country, but also the gel that bonded various ethnic and linguistic
groupings into a single nation. As a consequence our ‘nation’ had dissolved into
various cliques on ethnic and linguistic bases. He mentioned this as a primary
reason for failing to reach national consensus on issues like building the Kalabagh
Dam despite the looming crises of agriculture and power in Pakistan. He said that
while India was continuously depriving Pakistan of its water resources, the lack of
unity in our ranks had prevented us from pleading our case at any significant
bilateral or international forum. He said that a vast majority of our population had
time and again been seduced by the vain vows of prosperity made by the secular
political parties of Pakistan. He advised the electorate to astutely examine the
role of these secular political parties in bringing Pakistan to the brink of
catastrophe before voting for them in the upcoming elections.

Addressing the religious parties of Pakistan, the Ameer said that 65 years of futile
struggle had proven beyond doubt that in the presence of clan and feudal
systems in Pakistan, elections would not make any difference. ‘Even the majority
government of MMA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the reign of President
Musharaf could not bring any trace of Islamic System in that province let alone
the country as a whole’, he said. He called upon the leadership of all religious
parties to quit flogging a dead horse and opt out of the electoral process.

Citing the unique circumstances of Pakistan, he ruled out the option of an armed
struggle against the status quo to enforce Shariah. He said that although some
Schools of Islamic Thought permitted an armed rebellion against the ruling elite,
stringent conditions had been set for such actions, which seemed impossible to
meet given the current circumstances in Pakistan. He added that it appeared
virtually impossible for unarmed civilians to successfully revolt against an
establishment that included a fully equipped army and air force, an organized
police force and other state security apparatus.

The Ameer said that the world had witnessed unarmed revolutions in countries
like Iran and Venezuela in the not too distant past. He added that a well-organized
party, whose members had enforced the Shariah on themselves and their family,
could protest peacefully and affect a positive change in the country. He said that
while members of that party would never spill the blood of innocent civilians,
they would need to prepare themselves for all kinds of self-sacrifice. He cited the
example of the successful Lawyers Movement of 2007, which after peaceful
protest for more than three years, had been able to restore the top judiciary in
the country. He said that discipline in the ranks of such movements was pivotal to
the successful pursuit of their goal. He warned religious leaders of Pakistan about
the catastrophic consequences of bringing the masses into streets without
adequate homework.

Earlier the moderator of the debate, Mr. Ayub Beg Mirza, gave a presentation
about the political, economic, social and moral crises being faced by Pakistan
today.