Tariq Mahmood Awan / Translated from Urdu to English
Among the four books in my Governance Series, Fixing the Legislature is the most important. In this book, I have attempted to present a Political Manifesto for Pakistan, focusing on democracy, the role of politicians, strengthening parliamentary institutions, and establishing an effective model of governance.
Based on ten years of research, I have examined the fundamental challenges facing Pakistan’s democratic system and proposed possible solutions. The book primarily addresses the following questions:
- How can electoral reforms be introduced in Pakistan?
- How can the Legislature be transformed into a strong, autonomous, and effective constitutional institution?
- What are the actual roles and responsibilities of politicians in a democratic system?
- How does the Executive influence the powers and autonomy of the Legislature?
- What should be the constitutional relationship between the Judiciary and the Legislature, and where should the limits of their respective powers lie?
- How can the genuine Will of the People and their political representation be reflected in the Legislature?
- What should be the role of political parties in a democratic system? Are Pakistan’s political parties genuinely democratic institutions, or are they merely political organisations built around individuals and families?
In this book, I have given particular attention to the challenges of democracy, politics, governance, and public representation in Pakistan. In particular, by placing Popular Sovereignty and the people’s right to govern at the foundation of democracy, I have sought to explain that the people are the ultimate source of state authority and that their will must be reflected in state decisions through constitutional and democratic institutions.
This book does not merely criticise the weaknesses of Pakistan’s political system or challenge its Political Myths; it also presents a Future Roadmap. Its purpose is to establish an institutional and constitutional pathway towards a Constitutional Democracy and a Qualitative Democracy in Pakistan—one in which the rule of law prevails, Parliament is strong, political parties function as democratic institutions, and the people’s right to govern is genuinely realised.
The fundamental objective of my ten years of research and intellectual effort is to provide both the intellectual foundation and a practical roadmap for transforming democracy in Pakistan from a process limited to elections into a genuinely public, constitutional, and institutional system.
Fixing the Legislature
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