Hafeez Ahmed Khan
Critical Political Reforms in Pakistan
Political reforms are changes in the political system that aim to improve its functioning, accountability, transparency, and responsiveness to the people. Pakistan has undergone several political reforms since its independence in 1947, but the results have been mixed and often disappointing. In this essay, I will critically evaluate the political reforms from the perspective of constitution and law, administration, electioneering, governance, democracy, federalism and people’s right to elect governments in Pakistan.
Constitutional and law reforms are critical for Pakistan. Foremostly, there is a dire need to implement law and constitution in Pakistan. It will be the best political reform Pakistan may have. Pakistan has had three constitutions in its history: 1956, 1962, and 1973. Military coups abrogated the first two, while military dictators and civilian governments amended the last. The current constitution of 1973 was restored by the 18th amendment in 2010, which devolved more powers to the provinces and reduced the role of the president. However, the constitution still faces many challenges, such as the lack of judicial independence, the supremacy of the parliament over other institutions, the role of Islamic ideology and Sharia law, the protection of human rights and minorities, and the implementation of constitutional provisions at all levels.
Political administrative reforms are crucial for the administration in Pakistan. Pakistan has a complex administrative system that consists of federal, provincial, and local governments. The federal government is responsible for foreign affairs, defence, finance, communication, and other national matters. The provincial governments are responsible for education, health, agriculture, and other regional matters. The local governments are responsible for municipal services, such as water supply, sanitation, roads, etc. However, the administrative system suffers from many problems, such as corruption, inefficiency, politicization, centralization, lack of coordination, and lack of accountability. Several reforms have been attempted to improve the administrative system, such as the Local Government Ordinance of 2001 and the National Finance Commission Award of 2009, but they have not been fully implemented or sustained.
Electioneering reforms are also vital for free and transparent elections in Pakistan. Pakistan has a parliamentary system of government with a bicameral legislature. The National Assembly is the lower house with 342 members elected by direct vote for a five-year term. The Senate is the upper house with 104 members elected by indirect vote for a six-year term. The National Assembly elects the prime minister from among its members. The president is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of parliament and provincial assemblies for a five-year term. However, the electioneering process is marred by many issues, such as electoral fraud, violence, intimidation, manipulation, rigging, media bias, and lack of transparency. Several reforms have been proposed to improve the electioneering process, such as electoral roll verification, biometric voting machines, proportional representation, caretaker governments, and election commission autonomy, but they have not been fully adopted or enforced.
Governance is a key political reform in Pakistan. Governance is the process of decision-making and implementation by the state and its institutions. Governance in Pakistan is influenced by various factors, such as political parties, civil society, media, judiciary, military, bureaucracy, and religious groups. However, governance in Pakistan is characterized by many shortcomings, such as poor service delivery, weak rule of law, low public trust, high corruption, low accountability, low participation, and low responsiveness. Several reforms have been initiated to improve governance in Pakistan, such as the National Accountability Bureau, the Right to Information Act, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, the Citizen Feedback Model, and the E-Government Strategy, but they have not been very effective or consistent.
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Democracy reforms are also vital for the people’s right to elect their governments. Democracy is a system of government where the people have the power to choose their representatives and hold them accountable. Democracy in Pakistan has faced many challenges since its inception, such as military coups, constitutional crises, political instability, authoritarianism, dynastic politics, and civil-military relations. Several reforms have been undertaken to strengthen democracy in Pakistan, such as the Charter of Democracy, the 18th amendment, the National Action Plan, and the democratic transition, but they have not been able to address the root causes of democratic dysfunction or ensure democratic consolidation.
Federalism is a key political reform in Pakistan. Federalism is a system of government where power is divided between the central and regional governments. Federalism in Pakistan has evolved over time from a unitary state to a quasi-federal state to a more decentralized state. However, federalism in Pakistan still faces many challenges, such as ethnic conflicts, resource distribution, provincial autonomy, inter-provincial coordination, and fiscal federalism. Several reforms have been implemented to enhance federalism in Pakistan, such as the One Unit Scheme, the Council of Common Interests, the NFC Award, and the 18th amendment, but they have not been able to resolve the inter-provincial grievances or promote national integration.
People’s right to elect government is the most crucial political reform. People’s right to elect governments is a fundamental right in a democracy that ensures the representation and participation of the people in the political process. People’s right to elect governments in Pakistan has been violated many times by various actors, such as the military, the judiciary, the establishment, and the political parties. Several reforms have been suggested to protect people’s right to elect governments in Pakistan, such as the protection of the constitution, the independence of the judiciary, the neutrality of the establishment, and the accountability of the political parties, but they have not been fully realized or respected.
Lastly, political reforms in Pakistan have been a continuous and contentious process that has involved various actors, interests, and challenges. The reforms have aimed to improve the constitution and law, administration, electioneering, governance, democracy, federalism, and people’s right to elect governments in Pakistan. However, the reforms have not been very successful or satisfactory, as they have faced many obstacles, such as lack of political will, lack of public awareness, lack of institutional capacity, lack of resources, and lack of consensus. Therefore, there is a need for more comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable political reforms in Pakistan that can address the structural and systemic issues that hinder its political development and stability.
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