DEMOCRACY UNDER SIEGE

Is democracy under siege in Pakistan? The answer is both yes and no. It is no if we take a textbook approach to politics. The standard argument is that state institutions are more important than the individuals who occupy key positions. These individuals come and go but the primacy of institutions should not be compromised. Current political challengers are being faced by some people who hold key positions in the government, they may be under siege, but not the political institutions or democracy. The answer is yes if we focus on the operational dynamics of state institutions and processes.Institutions do not mean bricks, walls, furniture and files. When do not mean bricks, walls,furniture and files. When individuals interact with institutions or when institutions deal with each other, the folk occupying key positions matter. Their disposition and agenda, as well as how these change over time, influence institutional disposition and agenda. The survival and collapse of institutions depend on personal, group and corporate and professional, group and corporate and professional interests of the key individuals in these institutions.