Within days of the death sentence being awarded to General Musharaf on 17 December 2019, a polarizing dispute erupted within Pakistan, over relative respect for the armed forces and the judiciary. However, the latest dispute will never be resolved, because Democracy nurtures institutional clashes to check power of different organs of the State, so as to hold state officials accountable before the people. Democracy’s approach towards accountability creates disruptive clashes and intense polarization in the society, making it difficult for rulers to effectively manage the affairs of the people. Moreover, any consensus among institutions renders the state officials totally unaccountable on critical matters. Thus, under Democracy there was no institutional clash when Pakistan’s political and military leadership handed over the country’s logistical infrastructure to the US for its invasion of Afghanistan. Similarly, there is sinister consensus over inaction regarding Modi’s forceful annexation of Occupied Kashmir, which is in accordance with the US regional objective to grant India dominance. And there is devastating consensus over taking interest based loans from the colonialists, with conditions that have crippled agriculture, industry and trade, plunging the Muslims into abysmal poverty. In cases of consensus, all state institutions agree upon serving colonialist interests, managing the affairs of Muslims of Pakistan through secular laws and constitution based on Western political experience, regardless of the harm upon the Muslims and deviation from Islam.

Pakistan will never be free of Democracy’s crippling clashes and sinister consensus, until the Khilafah (Caliphate) is re-established along with its judiciary that rules by all that Allah (swt) has revealed. Islam’s approach to accountability is radically different from that of Democracy. Islam makes all institutions of the state subservient to the Shariah of Allah (swt). Accountability of every state official in the Khilafah is based on whether he or she adhered to the law of Allah (swt) in discharge of his or her official duties. Allah (swt) said,

[فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ]

“And if you dispute over any matter, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day.” [Surah an-Nisa'a 4:59]. In the Khilafah, the Court of Unjust Acts would never allow the Khaleefah to make alliance with the enemies of Muslims, as it is forbidden in Islam. The Islamic judiciary will never allow the Khaleefah to be negligent in the liberation of the occupied lands of Muslims, as it is an Islamic duty. A judiciary ruling by all that Allah (swt) has revealed will never allow the Khaleefah to secure interest based loans from the colonialists, with conditions that destroy the economy, as it is a grave sin. Thus, in the era of the Khilafah alone, the armed forces were honored by generals like Khalid bin Walid (ra), Salahudin and Muhammad bin Qasim, feared by the fleeing enemies and earning the Dua of the oppressed. It is in the era of the Khilafah alone that the Khaleefah Rashid, Umar (ra) was accounted over a piece of cloth and the judge Shuraih ruled against the Khaleefah Rashid, Ali (ra) in the case of his (ra) stolen property. So if it is not now the time for Khilafah, then when?

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Pakistan