Sharif Vs. Musharraf: The future of democracy in Pakistan

Abstract The military coup by General Musharraf in October 1999, has yet again raised the issue of whether democracy has a future in Pakistan. The death of General Zia‐ul‐Haq in 1988 and the successive governments that came to power through elections thereafter, gave rise to hopes that Pakistan had taken fledgling steps towards the establishment of a democratic order, even though the military drove the governments from the back seat. This hope seemed to acquire certainty with the advent of Nawaz Sharif s government with a two‐thirds majority. However, the military coup of October 1999 showed the frailty of Pakistan's experiment with democracy. Democracy has been unable to take roots in Pakistan due to weak political institutions and because of its deeply feudal structure. Even if the political process is restored by the military regime, it will be quite a few decades before‐ democracy acquires unshakeabte roots in Pakistan. The present article gives an overview of hopes and frustrations pertaining to demo...