Pakistan Is Being Shaped by Popular Will as Never Before

A series of trends in Pakistan signal more democratic representation for the country, but the US may not like the opinions emerging from the feisty democracy. “The US needs a Pakistani state that is significantly unrepresentative of the Pakistani people, because most Pakistanis are opposed to America's war in Afghanistan, and the US cannot hope to succeed there without Pakistan's support,” writes Mohsin Hamid for the Guardian. In recent years, Pakistani leaders – first Pervez Musharraf and then Asif Ali Zardari – defied public opinion by allying with the US and relying heavily on military solutions to eliminate extremism. Support for the military and ideological dogma is on the decline while the middle class, economic growth and media scrutiny and debate are expanding. Widespread popular support for restoring the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Chaudhry – with officials resigning rather than stop a massive protest – signals widespread support for the rule of law, an end to corruption and a desire for accountability. Hamid concludes that securing Afghanistan, a country of 30 million is not worth sabotaging democracy in Pakistan, a country of 170 million. – YaleGlobal