News Analysis |
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his government was laying the foundation of genuine representative democracy in the country in which every ruler would be held accountable by the public and they would have no luxury to fritter away the public money for their personal gains. The PM was addressing the sixth convocation of Namal College as the chief guest when compared the despotic regimes with that of the democratic system and said that the west progressed due to the continuity of the democratic system which had merits.
He said that Pakistan was created under an objective and that was to follow the great principles of Riasat-e-Medina and the ideals of its founders Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal. The prime minister observed that the Muslims laid the foundation of the greatest civilization in the world on the basis of Riasat-e-Medina.
PM Khan argues that due to the failure of the political class to develop a prosperous country, the youth has started idealizing non-Pakistani culture increasingly.
“But Muslims lost the glory when they deviated from their basic principles,” he said and cited the fall of Mughal and other Muslim empires ruled by kings while the west gained by enacting the Magna Carta which attempted to hold the rulers accountable. Academics and researchers argue that the core element of modern-day democracy is accountability. The rulers are accountable before the public and get a vote on the basis of their performance.
It is not possible in a genuine democracy that the ruler gathers money and establishes asserts beyond known means and makes his family the richest one. Political Scientists argue that democracy as a system of governance ensures the accountability of the rulers and as an idea, it encourages self-accountability which is key to development and prosperity. Western democracies are based on the principles which include rule of law, accountability, and transparency.
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PM Khan has always been the only politician in Pakistan who frequently offers a western model of governance and equates it with that of the state of Medina. He has promised to make Pakistan a genuine democracy where basic Islamic principles shall be in practice. Moreover, the prime minister said that the people could rise to heights if they had foundations in their culture but if an alien culture was imposed upon them, they developed slavish thoughts and found themselves low.
The prime minister observed that the Muslims laid the foundation of the greatest civilization in the world on the basis of Riasat-e-Medina.
Only independent minds could rise, he said. PM Khan has always been critical of following the trends set by the west and ignoring our own culture. He always educates students to be proud of their nation and country if they really want to earn some respect in the complex world. PM Khan argues that due to the failure of the political class to develop a prosperous country, the youth has started idealizing non-Pakistani culture increasingly.
A few years ago, PM Khan addressed a rally of students in Lahore where he stressed on the importance of ‘owning your culture, nation and country’ if someone wanted to earn respect across the world; he maintained it while addressing the Mianawali audience too. Furthermore, referring to Leader of Opposition Shahbaz Sharif’s criticism of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, the prime minister reiterated his confidence that unlike his predecessor, Buzdar would emerge as the best CM of the province.
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He said that Buzdar would not misuse his office for setting up sugar mills or amass wealth. He neither uses a huge protocol nor flies in special planes and his son-in-law is not an absconder, he added. “He would not go abroad for his treatment rather he would set up quality hospitals in the province,” he said.
The prime minister further said that the chief minister belonged to the tribal areas which faced lack of basic amenities, including power supply and hospitals. “Buzdar is cognizant of the issues and is in the best position to tackle them,” he said. PM also told students about his struggle and public pressure he faced throughout his life. He encouraged young people to stay determined and focused on their goals. “You never lose it if you never give up on it,” he said.