Drawing parallels between Egypt and Pakistan

As global news channels beamed images of large crowds celebrating President Muhammad Mursi’s downfall at Tahrir Square, viewers in Pakistan also watched intently. The story sounded all too familiar and struck a chord with them. The Egyptian leader, who was democratically elected with much fanfare after Hosni Mubarak, was ousted from power by the army. The army claimed to have intervened on the wishes of people to save the country from an ever-growing rift, which threatened wider civil unrest.
During Pakistan’s turbulent existence of over six decades, the country’s political system has been marred for half of this period with military intervention based on the doctrine of necessity. When military chief Musharraf assumed power in 1999’s coup, a huge percentage of Pakistanis expressed their jubilation about the military takeover. During his rule, the country experienced rapid economic progress and partnered with the US in fighting global war against terror. However, a judiciary movement and other political blunders pushed Musharraf into isolation, and there were widespread calls for a smooth transition to democracy. Similarly, Mursi lost support of the Egyptian Army and it created an ideological divide in the Egyptian society when he tried to implement Islamic agenda of his Freedom and Justice Party.
While mass protests that have swept across several Arab cities are still a distant shot in Pakistan, the country is at the crossroads of a major upheaval. As the middle class gains greater political consciousness, it is likely to demand more representation in the system to meet its political expectations. Over the past five years, Pakistan’s middle class has shrunk and failed to find answers to its hapless situation due to a weak economy, corrupt and inefficient system, and poor security situation in the country. The Egyptian middle class actively participated in protests against Mursi as they were troubled by an unfulfilled agenda of political and economic reforms that were promised after Mubarak’s exit.
In case the newly elected Sharif government does not rise to the occasion, civil unrest to oust it cannot be ruled out. The government needs to provide quick and effective solutions to some of the most urgent problems being faced by Pakistan today. Authorities in Pakistan must engage all stakeholders and political parties to provide the population relief from unabated power shortages, high inflation, sluggish economy and an uncertain security situation. Having now completed its first month in power, the new government seems to have done reasonably well. It has successfully engaged the IMF for a new economic bailout package, developed an energy policy and shown its willingness to reach truce with the Taleban.
Unlike Egypt, Pakistan has made a smooth transition of power from one representative Parliament to the other. Although it is unfortunate that the democratic process came to an abrupt halt in Egypt, Pakistan must learn key lessons from its brotherly Muslim country and ensure that it remains a functioning democracy. A democratic setup that fulfills the expectations of people by understanding the most pertinent issues and chalking out strategies to counter them will certainly succeed, and keep autocratic forces on the sidelines.

• This article is exclusive to Arab News