Lesson from Tunisia

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 went to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet comprising four key civil society organisations – the Tunisian General Labour union, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. In 2011 when Tunisia was faced with the Arab Spring or Jasmine Revolution, the quartet became instrumental in enabling Tunisia to establish a constitutional system of governance guaranteeing fundamental rights to the entire population, irrespective of gender, political conviction or religious belief.

In comparison, our civil society is completely directionless and only project-oriented. It seems that the main motivation behind every activity is money. During the lawyer’s movement against the Musharraf government, bar councils worked very hard throughout the country but failed to sustain the momentum of their activity. Now we have a divided bar all across the country. We are living in the time of conflict and instability. The 2015 Nobel Prize for a civil society of a Muslim country has given us an opportunity to think about democracy and peaceful coexistence.

Aijaz Ali Khuwaja

Karachi