Pakistan has been facing the issue of political polarization for more than a decade. Political parties are vying for le­gitimacy by declaring their competitors anti-national ele­ments. Simply putting, political polarization has pitted political groups into a us versus them debate. Last two years have jolted every existing social, political, and economic struc­ture of Pakistan. Political polarization has reached its ideological extreme. The incoming government must harness political polarization, if it wants to usher in an era of political stability and good governance.

It is imperative to decipher why societies face the is­sue of political polarization. A research study conduct­ed by the European Center for Populism Studies(ECPS) offers two interrelated causes. First, when the governments are unable to perform their constitutional duties properly, the masses are alienated and the political divide increases. The moral legitimacy of the opponents is challenged. Second, masses feel attracted towards specific political groups, deem­ing them legitimate. The issue of polarization is exacerbated by social media, mainstream T.V networks, and other sources of social and political debate. Pakistan has witnessed the ne­farious rise of........

© The Nation