THE beauty of democracy is in the protests, and sit-ins like the one in progress these days in Islamabad. The constitutional aspect of the demands made by the PTI and the PAT is a separate debate but the participation of the people, who are out on the roads, shows that Pakistan is now a true democracy.

This calls for academic research on democratisation trends in the country. Both the government and parties opposing it deserve kudos.

The government should be congratulated for showing tolerance and patience toward dissent and allowing democracy to get stronger.

We must also thank Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri for standing up and challenging the government and thus promoting democracy in the country.

People will appreciate if they resolve their issues on the negotiating table.

Arslan Waheed
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2014