But democracy, even a flawed one, is a lion that refuses to be tamed or caged. Benazir had her imperfections. But with people on her side, she was poised to sweep the polls and seemed determined to challenge Musharraf’s authority. If you have any doubts, just listen to her last campaign speech. So who stands to gain from her disappearance from the political scene now?

The gravest crisis that the Pakistani state faces today is the erosion of its credibility in the eyes of its own people. No state can survive if rogue elements within it are suspected to have had a hand in political assassinations aimed at benefiting somebody in the power struggle. Similarly, no nation can survive if the universal and eternally relevant principles of truth and justice are repeatedly trampled upon. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s rulers have hidden too many dark truths, right from the time of Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The question that troubles me is why we in India have chosen to remain silent, passive and seemingly indifferent spectators when our brothers and sisters in Pakistan are going through a difficult time? Why are we not showing solidarity with the movement for democracy across the border? There was no protest action anywhere in our country when the lawyers’ agitation in Pakistan was suppressed and the media was muzzled.

Aitzaz Ahsan, a brave and brilliant lawyer and one of the leading lights of the pro-democracy campaign, is still languishing in jail and, reportedly, being tortured. Why is there not even a murmur in India? Why should only the United States, Britain and China be playing a role in Pakistan, guided solely by their narrow geo-political interests? India has a lot at stake in what happens to Pakistan — indeed, more than any other country in the world. Therefore, shouldn’t the people and political parties in our country be seen to be standing by the side of those in Pakistan who are fighting against military rule on the one hand and jihadi terrorism on the other?

... contd.