THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN

BY SAMAR ZAIDI

The concept of civil society is not new and has been mentioned since 17th century in the writings of many influential and great thinkers like John Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, and Marx. John Locke has distinguished between state and civil society. The modern concept of the term is however different from its classical meanings. The term civil society can be defined as ‘the part of a society or culture outside or independent of the government and state-run institutions’. That part includes an independent judiciary, free press, public opinion forums, private think tanks, human rights groups, NGOs, and individuals (politicians, religious scholars, intellectuals, and dissenters etc). Civil society stands for democratic pluralism, tolerance, and protest against authoritarianism and extremism of all kinds. Civil society has already played an important role in the developed and capitalist countries of the West. Civil societies of the developing countries are generally weak and ineffective.
Civil society in Pakistan
The concept of civil society in Pakistan might appear new as it has gained currency only recently with the proliferation of NGOs and human rights groups. Civil society of Pakistan, which even in its embryonic form was weak and fragmented, has simply remained an appendage to the state. The judiciary and press, which are two important components of any civil society, have sometimes validated actions like military takeovers and overthrow of democratic governments in Pakistan. Politicians (both secular and religious) and intelligentsia are also responsible to some extent, as they too have failed to raise their voices against the authoritarianism of successive governments. They either remained indifferent or allied themselves with the ruling class very often toeing the official line. Political instability, lack of democracy, centralized state structure, and vestiges of colonial and feudal system are some of the factors hampering the growth of a vibrant civil society. As a result an atmosphere of apathy has set in the general population and they have become alienated from the political process.
Civil society’s role in conflict management
As mentioned earlier civil society in Pakistan is still in its formative phase. It could not prevent the worst crisis of Pakistan history i.e. the disintegration of Pakistan in 1971. It has failed to raise its voice against military takeovers, the dismissal of elected governments, the Kargil crisis, and it has been failed to protect democratic ideals and political freedoms. But its failure has some very legitimate reasons. First, In Pakistan the state considers itself the sole arbitrator of ideology and ‘national interest’ and any dissenting view is regarded as unpatriotic. State often sees civil society’s dissenting views with suspicion and mistrust. Second, civil society groups lack coordination, resources, and expertise to carry out their objectives. Some of them even lack working knowledge of democratic principles and human rights standards. Apart from organizing some seminars or conferences on some social and political issues they are unable to do something more substantial. So far they are unable to influence the government on any important issue.
Although the past record of civil society is quite dismal but its future is not so bleak. With globalization and emerging new realities the role of state has been undergoing a great change. Now the unilateral role of the state has already come under severe scrutiny and there have been demands for a new social contract between the state and civil society. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made an appeal in 2002 to organize an international conference to discuss the role of civil society and NGOs in the prevention of armed conflicts in the world today. Possibility of a greater role of civil society groups in the areas of conflict resolution, prevention, and management will provide them an opportunity that their governments have been denying them for so long. It also poses great challenges before civil society of Pakistan. Pakistan-India relations, nuclear arms race between the two countries and the problem of Kashmir are the issues that need to be addressed at the earliest. At the domestic level conflicts of ethnic, religious, sectarian and political nature are great challenges. And on international level the problem of terrorism requires serious consideration.
The civil society of Pakistan is becoming increasingly vocal and people have started raising voices against domestic violence, religious extremism, and military’s monopoly in the matters of national interest. Press is also showing signs of a vigilant watchdog of society. Only recently it was unthinkable to criticize the military or to question its wisdom on the policy matters. Violations of human rights draw attention and widespread condemnation. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the India Pakistan People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy are the examples of civil society groups that have been doing a lot of work in normalizing the strained relations of the two countries. They have not been able to influence their respective governments on the vital issues and their activities have been limited only in facilitating people to people contact. Their achievements are not substantial so far but their efforts are commendable in that they have succeeded in creating an atmosphere where one can disagree with the official line, can question the authority and where the press is free to publish dissenting views. Of course international pressures have contributed a lot to bring about this change but the efforts of the domestic groups must not be ignored. One can see society in Pakistan emerging from an abysmal state and redefining itself. These internal conditions of Pakistan will certainly influence the policymakers’ thinking and the external environment of the country.
Conclusion
Civil society in Pakistan can play an important role in the management of conflicts of both domestic and interstate nature by,
1. Achieving the required resources and expertise.
2. Improving its interaction with the UN and other regional organizations and NGOs to achieve a more integrated approach to the task of conflict management.
3. Establishing regional peace building networks of key NGOs.
4. Seeking more participation from different sections of society.
5. Mobilizing people by creating awareness and organizing non-violent actions.
6. Giving early warnings about potential conflicts.
Finally a robust and vital civil society consisting of a free and enquiring press, mobilized masses, activists, and people of diverse opinions can influence the policy makers who are the ultimate actors in any conflict. If the yawning gap between the state and civil society is filled in this way then it will be a positive achievement of both sides.

PREPARED BY SAMAR ZAIDI
CLASS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
M.A (PREVIOUS) 2003

All content (C) Department of International Relations, Karachi University

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