It is difficult to find a single example in the history of modern democratic nations when a dictator’s death has been commemorated by either the government or the opposition in a country. No one mourns Cromwell or Napoleon, although they were the harbingers of the great democratic revolutions which later erupted all over Europe. The tin-pot, dime-a-dozen dictators of Latin America and Africa come and go, and we would be hard pressed to remember their names with any veracity. It isn’t difficult to understand why.
A dictator is the very antithesis of a democrat, and formally remembering or honouring a dictator erodes the whole culture of modern democratic values — free and fair elections, adult franchise, a universally accepted constitution, an uncensored press, a strong and independent judiciary, a vibrant party-political system, etc.
In Pakistan, however, we are about to set a dangerous precedent. The dictator Zia ul Haq will have been dead one year on the 17th of August, and the IJI plans to mourn his passing in the tens of thousands on that day, in Islamabad. By so doing, the IJI is clearly making the following political statement: “Zia ul Haq was a martyr. He is our hero. We supported all his policies for eleven years, and, if given another chance, we will formally reinstate his legacies“.
What are Zia ul Haq’s legacies? He executed the democratically elected prime minister of Pakistan. He drastically amended the nation’s constitution, arbitrarily and illegally. He attempted to destroy the party-political system in Pakistan. He interfered in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and India. He mortgaged Pakistan to the World Bank and the IMF. The list is endless. In effect, the dictator ruthlessly flouted all the norms of democracy with contempt.
Is the IJI saying it doesn’t believe in democracy, free elections, an u