Toxic Politics Of Polarization Is Undermining Pakistan Democracy

This article published in Scroll is from Maleeha Lodhi:

In Pakistan’s deeply polarised and fraught environment the tone and content of political discourse have plunged to a level not witnessed before. Political conduct may not have been polite in the past but what is being evidenced now is unprecedented.

Daily press conferences by the country’s government and opposition representatives involve bitter verbal clashes between them that increasingly assume the form of personal attacks and in language that was the exception rather than the norm in the past. Today these verbal duels often involve the use of words hardly appropriate for members of parliament to exchange. Words matter and harsh words have consequences for how politicians are perceived by the public.

Demonising opponents

Irrespective of who started this resort to intemperate language or contributed more to what has become an unedifying part of the country’s political culture, both sides – government and opposition – are now speaking in a manner that is unseemly and unbecoming. Political leaders are supposed to set an example by their conduct and their willingness to engage in reasoned debate.

Here’s the full article.