THE article ‘End of democracy’ (July 18) by A. G. Noorani is thought-provoking and should be heeded to by civil society. It reminds me of what Plato had said: “the punishment for not taking part in politics is that we end up by being governed by people lesser than ourselves.”

The writer is an Indian living in India and compares the political scenario prevalent in India in 1975 (when Indira Gandhi had declared emergency) with the present one and emphasises that ‘democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is undemocratic’. If that is true of India, it is twice as much true for Pakistan with its feudalistic society and corrupt politicians and bureaucracy. The article gives food for thought to us all in all walks of life.

S. M.

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2015

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