Pair Name: Muhammad Faraz & Ali Mohammad

Subject Name: Creative Writing & Communication

Assignment No: 1st

Assignment Given Date: 9 July, 2021

Assignment Submission Date: 15 august, 2021

Instructor Name: Miss Bisma Alam

Program: Bachelor of Media Science

Year & Semester: 2021, 2nd Semester

Student IDs: M.Faraz (1141-2020) & A.Mohammad (983-2020)

Batch: 19B
 Report on
Conservative Society

Submitted By
Muhammad Faraz & Ali Muhammad

For the partial fulfilment of course of Freshman

English- II

At the

Department of Media Science

Indus University
August 2021

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Conservative Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1.1 Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1.2 Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1.3 Realism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3. Conservatism In Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.1 Ring Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 Left Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Belief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 7/8
4. Conservative People In 21st Century . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 8
4.1 Conservative Mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.2 Conservatism Over Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8/9
4.3 Conservatism Over Marriages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5. Liberalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5.1 The Liberalism Saga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9/10
5.2 Liberalism Vs Conservatism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/11
6. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.1 Human Rights In Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.2 Women Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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 1. INTRODUCTION
Conservatism is a political ideology that places a strong focus on traditional and depends on
individuals to keep society running. Introduced the name in 1818, during the Bourbon Restoration,
which sought to reverse the policies of the French Revolution. Right-wing politics are related with
the phrase. It's been applied to a wide spectrum of viewpoints. Because the definition of
conservatism varies depending on the context and time, there is no singular set of policies that are
considered conservative, and yet so many Conservatives reject Modernism in some way and seek
to return to traditional values. Conservatives in Western culture, for example, strive to preserve
things like, Property ownership, parliamentary system, and traditional values and organized
religion.

François-René de Chateaubriand

2. CONSERVATIVE SOCIETY
The definition and the tenets of conservatism vary widely by place and time. However, the central
feature of conservatism lies in the belief that the aristocracies are better than they are. Therefore,
the main goal of conservatism is to maintain and promote aristocracies, which automatically
translates to inequality in social and economic spheres. While this inequality supports the
aristocrats by maintaining their status through its practices, it also ends up creating further
divisions amongst people. People who hold the belief that the aristocrats have intrinsic traits that
make them superior and hence more capable to dominate are conservatives. Conservatism rejects
practices such as democracy. For conservatives, democracy is not about social equity, but rather
consider it a psychological condition. This, however, does not mean that conservatism rejects
freedom. Conservatism supports freedom as long as it does not oppose the dominant position of
the aristocrats.

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2.1: HISTORY
Conservatism is a preference for the historically inherited rather than the abstract and ideal. This
preference has traditionally rested on an organic conception of society that is, on the belief that
society is not merely a loose collection of individuals but a living organism comprising closely
connected, interdependent members. Conservatives thus favour institutions and practices that have
evolved gradually and are manifestations of continuity and stability. Government’s responsibility
is to be the servant, not the master, of existing ways of life, and politicians must therefore resist
the temptation to transform society and politics. This suspicion of government activism
distinguishes conservatism not only from radical forms of political thought but also from
liberalism, which is a modernizing, antitraditionalist movement dedicated to correcting the evils
and abuses resulting from the misuse of social and political power. In The Devil’s Dictionary
(1906), the American writer Ambrose Bierce cynically (but not inappropriately) defined the
conservative as “a statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal,
who wishes to replace them with others.” Conservatism must also be distinguished from the
reactionary outlook, which favours the restoration of a previous, and usually outmoded, political
or social order.
It was not until the late 18th century, in reaction to the upheavals of the French Revolution (1789),
that conservatism began to develop as a distinct political attitude and movement. The term
conservative was introduced after 1815 by supporters of the newly restored Bourbon monarchy in
France, including the author and diplomat Franƈois-Auguste-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand. In
1830 the British politician and writer John Wilson Croker used the term to describe the British
Tory Party (see Whig and Tory), and John C. Calhoun, an ardent defender of states’ rights in the
United States, adopted it soon afterward. The originator of modern, articulated conservatism
(though he never used the term himself) is generally acknowledged to be the British
parliamentarian and political writer Edmund Burke, whose Reflections on the Revolution in France
(1790) was a forceful expression of conservatives’ rejection of the French Revolution and a major
inspiration for counterrevolutionary theorists in the 19th century. For Burke and other pro-
parliamentarian conservatives, the violent, untraditional, and uprooting methods of the revolution
outweighed and corrupted its liberating ideals. The general revulsion against the violent course of
the revolution provided conservatives with an opportunity to restore pre-Revolutionary traditions,
and several brands of conservative philosophy soon developed.

2.1.1: TRADITION
According to Michael Oakeshott, "To be conservative is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to
prefer the tried to the untried, fact to mystery, the actual to the possible, the limited to the
unbounded, the near to the distant, the sufficient to the superabundant, the convenient to the
perfect, present laughter to utopian bliss." Such traditionalism may be a reflection of trust in time-
tested methods of social organization, giving 'votes to the dead'. Traditions may also be steeped in
a sense of identity.

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2.1.2: HIERARCHY
In contrast to the tradition-based definition of conservatism, some political theorists such as Corey
Robin define conservatism primarily in terms of a general defense of social and economic
inequality. From this perspective, conservatism is less an attempt to uphold traditional institutions
and more a meditation on and theoretical rendition of the felt experience of having power, seeing
it threatened, and trying to win it back". Conversely, some conservatives may argue that they are
seeking less to protect their own power than they are seeking to protect "inalienable rights" and
promote norms and rules that they believe should stand timeless and eternal, applying to each
citizen
2.1.3: REALISM
Conservatism has been called a philosophy of human imperfection by Noël O'Sullivan, reflecting
among its adherents a negative view of human nature and pessimism of the potential to improve it
through utopian schemes. The intellectual godfather of the realist right, Thomas Hobbes, argued
that the state of nature for humans was "poor, nasty, brutish, and short", requiring centralized
authority

3. CONSERVATISM IN PAKISTAN
In Pakistani politics, conservatism broadly refers to the country's cultural, social, and religious
characteristics. Respect for history, the rule of law, and the Islamic faith, which is essential to the
notion of Pakistan, are all political constants in Pakistani conservatism, according to American
historian Stephen Cohen. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan initially accepted conservative
ideology, values, beliefs, and traditions as part of his domestic policies in 1950. Only since the
1950s has the conservative tradition played a significant part in Pakistani politics and culture, and
the organised conservative movement has played a significant role in politics. According to the
CIA database, Islam is followed by 95–97 percent of Pakistanis, with the remainder believing in
Christianity, Hinduism, and other religions.
In Pakistan, conservatism is usually linked with the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), which is the
successor party to the one that was responsible for the country's foundation. The extended
PML(N), which is now led by its leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was elected
in general elections conducted in 2013, is the most powerful and important branch of the PML.
Nonetheless, on matters such as foreign policy, national security, and social concerns, the country's
conservative vote bank was split evenly between the PML(N) and Imran Khan's centrist PTI. When
Imran Khan was sworn in as Prime Minister in 2018, he defeated PML's nominee Shahbaz Sharif
in the worldwide general elections, the conservative vote bank eventually swung to PTI.
3.1: RIGHT-WING
Someone who is "right-wing" usually supports tradition and keeping things the way that they
already are. The right-wing in some countries, like the United States, may also usually be in
support of social liberalism and a capitalist economy where the government has little influence.

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3.2: LEFT-WING
In politics, left-wing is a position that supports social equality and egalitarianism. ... In Western
Europe, Australia and New Zealand left-wing politics is often associated with social democracy
and democratic socialism.
3.3: BELIEF
In Pakistan, conservatism is defined as "respect for tradition, the rule of law, and the Islamic
religion," among other things. Prime Minister Ali Khan backed right-wing conservatives and
nationalist agenda proponents as part of his internal policy.
3.4: DEMOCRACY
In Pakistan, liberals and socialists are lumped together as one ideological group. But in reality,
they have always held two distinct political thoughts. They converged only during political
struggles for democracy with varying political objectives – as they did during the MRD in the
1980s. During the regime of General Musharraf, liberals stood by a dictatorship while socialists
continued their struggle for democracy. In our contemporary political landscape, liberals supported
the PTI for its lifestyle promises rather than its commitment to a democratic transition of Pakistan.
Public concerts, a frivolous party culture and the bashing of Nawaz and his coterie attracted the
transient political ideals of our liberals. Socialists opposed the PTI ideology as an anti-democratic
political vanguard of the status quo and a political impediment to a democratic transition in
Pakistan. Liberals found the PTI to be the political saviour of a lifestyle, irrespective of its right-
wing political tendencies and inclination towards religious groups. Some socialist groups even
contested the elections of 2013 under the banner of the Awami Workers Party (AWP), and are
aspiring to participate in the general elections of 2018 as well. Divided between the AWP and the
PPP, socialist tendencies in Pakistan are driven by a social democratic tradition.

There is also a marked difference in attitudes between liberals and socialists about emerging
movements from Fata or previous ones from places like Okara. Socialists have supported
movements for political right of expression and to challenge oppression. Liberals, on the contrary,
have shown a disdain for such sporadic movements as they do not share the values of elitist liberals.
This pseudo-liberalism in Pakistan has been an elitist way of life that doesn’t find resonance with
popular movements of the working and lower middle classes. Civil society movements in Pakistan
have been influenced by this pseudo-liberal ideology, which is at peace with the status quo. For
these liberals, radical sociopolitical transformation is an unsettling and obscure idea that is too
dangerous to their lifestyle. What we used to discuss at our university campus was idealistic, but

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it seems to work in Pakistan till today. Therefore, universities are special zones that face the wrath
of power today. Two examples – among many students and teachers – that highlight the situation
today are those of Professor Ammar Ali Jan at Punjab University and Dr Riaz Ahmed at Karachi
University who have faced this wrath as proponents of an inclusive and democratic Pakistan.
In the current transition to democracy, we can see at least one deviation in the traditional picture.
Nawaz Sharif is now one of the strongest dissenting voices in the country. Imran Khan, on the
contrary, seems to rely on the establishment more than the popular support for an electoral victory.
Bilawal Bhutto, strewn between popular aspirations and his father’s opportunistic and status-quo
pragmatism, is incapable of making any convincing political pronouncements. In a nutshell, we
appear to be marching towards a wishy-washy political future. It will be a test of nerves for those
who continue to speak for a democratic Pakistan.

4. CONSERVATIVE PEOPLE IN 21st CENTURY

Unfortunately, even in 21st century people still facing conservatism in many aspects. People in
Pakistan hesitate to show or discuss several things because of the fear of their elders, their elders
set same old certain rules for them and they have to follow all those and whenever they try to break
those certain rule they get scolded by their ancient family members. And I think this is just totally
unfair with them because everyone has a right to live with freedom but those conservative can’t
let them to live with freedom, neither have they changed nor they let you change. The conservative
peoples mind never grow, they always care for their traditions and rules. They made that old
mindset as their own, as they do not want to develop with the time I believe.
4.1: CONSERVATIVE MINDSET:
The main point in conservativeness is their mindset of the old generation that is kept by their heir
and that heir trying to impose those conservative thoughts into our generation. Due to those old
mind set, not only girls but boys also get in the trap of the conservative criticism. Even in today’s
world, there are still some families whose Girls are considered as inferior to boys. They are locked
down upon in the society just take a simple example which you can't deny, when girl come from
their office, coaching or any workplace at night then the series of questions always is placed before
them. The bitter truth of the society is that these questions are never asked to a boy. If all the
restrictions which are put on girls were put on boys then maybe the scene would have been
different. Even for boys, the situation is very dire, the weird sorts of things are implanting on boys
that boys don’t cry, I mean how come they cannot cry, aren’t boys human? Or only girls can cry,
whenever these sick sort of conservativeness remain in our society. When we’ll never going to
look beyond these things, tried to live our lives to the fullest.

4.2: CONSERVATISM OVER RACE:

This is so shocking to know that sort of conservatism even in today’s world. I mean how can
someone judge or treat people on the basis of their color or race. Racism is the planned hatred and
oppression of a person due to their pores and skin color. While racism is a coronary heart problem

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and tough to eradicate, institutional racism is something else entirely. Institutional racism is the
direct, structural implementation of racism inside an organization, authorities or system.
Institutional racism is deeply insidious good-natured humans can be taking part or profiting from
it without even understanding it exists. Rather than hold man or woman liberty, institutional racism
systematizes organization oppression. This is commonly manifested through a dis proportionality
of terrible consequences for black groups while as compared to their peers.

4.3: CONSERVATISM OVER MARRIAGES:

Parents still living in the old age of conservativeness, they still think if their child is obedient so
they are the one to choose the life partner for either boy or a girl. If anyone, either boy or a girl
opened about their love interest and present their wish to want to marry that girl/boy they termed
as a disobedient child, even how much they are obedient to their parents but that wish to have own
choice for there to be life partner, which is their own birth right but they termed as disobedient
child. And if they eventually get married, and for some reason, their marriage won’t work out and
get divorced, they(parents) becomes more rude and be like, you see what we told you this marriage
won’t work out and you didn’t listened to us back then. I mean wow this can happen to anybody,
even their own choice won’t work out sometimes, but the thing conservatism mindset is fit in their
mind that, if you do love marriage, your marriage won’t work out hundred percent.

5. LIBERALISM
Among the many misconceptions, Pakistanis have of various terms, liberalism or just the word
liberal is one misunderstood term that seems to have caused various disagreements among the
people. The majority considers liberalism to be a western import. Therefore, ideologies and
movements associated with the concept are disregarded as western conspiracies. One big example
of those movements is the feminist movement in the country, which also falls the broader umbrella
of the western conspiracies. In our society, we come across a variety of schools of thinking and
views. Every facet of life elicits a variety of responses from people. Perspectives are critical in
bringing about change in our society. Every point of view develops its own ideology, which we
then implement in our daily lives, whether directly or implicitly.

5.1: THE LIBERALISM SAGA

Between 1947 and the 1970s, Pakistan was a fairly liberal country. There were casinos and night
clubs. Women were wearing sarees and did not have to cover their heads. And after that two things
occurred, transforming the country into a more conservative society, not as conservative as the
Islamic Republic of Iran or Saudi Arabia, but still conservative with some South Asian culture.

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The Islamic revolution in Iran influenced Shias in Pakistan, and General Zia's rule brought more
religious conservatism, and the Afghan circumstance from 1980 had a significant impact on
Pakistan. Pakistan, like many Muslim countries, is conservative, but its culture is more closely
linked to its geographic origins.

5.2: LIBERALISM VS CONSERVATISM

Conservatism and liberalism are particularly prominent in Pakistan. The primary difference with
liberals and conservatives is how they think about the future and how much of the ancient and
modern should be considered. Liberals are adaptable and firmly believe in the concept of change.
Conservatives, on the other hand, are less concerned about change and instead focus on the norms
and traditions that have been practiced in our society for a long time. There are no mechanisms
that can measure a country’s position in both these ideologies as both contain contradictory
elements. However, generally, governments with liberal values that allow for freedom of speech,
social and economic equity, and equal rights for women are labeled liberals. In Pakistan, there are
aspects of liberalism and conservatism present in all institutions. The uprising women’s movement
in the country represents the liberalistic wing of the country that advocates for equal rights for
women. Politically, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) emerged as the first liberal party. The 1980s is
said to be the era of conservatives in the country, when such the Hudood Ordinances, and the
blasphemy law laws was introduced. Ever since Zia ul Haq’s regime in the 1980s, conservatism in
Pakistan seems to have grown big.
The Islamization of different institutions in the form of conservative laws have caused religious
conflicts in the country.

Recently, the mainstream media has been using the term “liberal extremism” to challenge
liberalism in the country. The phrase is used for people who have liberal values. This
misconception of the majority becomes evident in the very use of “liberal extremism”, which is an
oxymoron. One cannot be a liberal and an extremist at the same time. However, in political
terminology, one can call oneself a “hardcore” liberal according to their support for political parties

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with liberal values. Generally, the conservatives in the country hold the view that the liberals are
an intellectual caucus are conspiring to westernize Pakistan. This has resulted in the prominence
of a singular conservative narrative, whereas counter opinion is absent in the public sphere. The
difference of opinion on various issues has left people who do not have binary thinking look for a
middle ground.

6. CONCLUSION
The rise of the PTI, and the military support to its attacks on a democratically elected government,
and to its regressive and putrid politics of hate against anyone and everyone over the past five
years appears to be directly related to this phenomenon.
6.1: HUMAN RIGHTS IN PAKISTAN
While the PTI was touted as a party that would usher in a progressive Pakistan, it was still
bargaining with the old to suppress and silence criticism. The military, the religious
fundamentalists and the PTI increasingly began to appear as three heads of the same hydra – and
successfully managed to alienate all other political parties and civil society that stood for
democratic norms and human rights.
6.2: WOMEN RIGHTS
We, the outspoken, progressive women were naturally in the set of people opposing it, which
contained all manner of people, including the conservative Punjabis. Some of us belonged to
different political parties, others to none. But we were attacked relentlessly for our liberalism and
anti-Pakistani by the PTI and the Pakistan defence social media accounts for standing up for the
government of the time the PML(N), the Sharifs, and other leaders of the ruling party. Punjab
comprises a large part of Pakistan’s conservative population and would ordinarily hate liberal
women. But the conservative Asma/Gul/Malala/Gulalai/Sabeen/Marvi haters of the past began to
realize these awful women were now fighting for their rights because of the principles they had
espoused forever. They began to respect us for our stances, for the same old boldness and courage
of ours. They started becoming a new breed of conservative men supporting and defending liberal
women, people who they wouldn’t tire of abusing and attacking in the past.

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 7. REFERENCES

1. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_Pakistan

3. https://www.quora.com/Pakistan-How-conservative-liberal-or-islamic-is-

Pakistan-compared-to-other-muslim-countries-in-what-ways-and-why

4. https://nation.com.pk/08-Oct-2017/conservatism-or-liberalism

5. https://theprint.in/opinion/how-imran-khans-pti-turned-pakistani-

conservative-men-into-supporters-of-liberal-women/180112/

6. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/317233-democracy-left-right-and-centre

7. https://www.firstpost.com/india/the-absurdity-of-conservatism-how-

enforcement-of-culture-is-at-odds-with-nations-real-heritage-and-

development-9431361.html

8. https://voiceofbalochistan.pk/opinions-and-articles/social-

development/conservativism-vs-liberalism-in-pakistan/

9. https://www.britannica.com/topic/conservatism

10. https://www.dawn.com/news/796008/past-present-all-about-conservatism

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