Ministry seminar focuses on quality of democracy

Fawad Chaudhry urges rule of law, rights protection; Asad Umar stresses checks and balances

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan debated the quality of democracy in the country as it marked the International Democracy Day on Wednesday, with several ministers underscoring the importance of democratic values and the transformation of society.

At an event in Islamabad, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry pointed out that Pakistan was one of the few countries which were created through a democratic process, while Planning Minister Asad Umar emphasised that democracy was strengthened when people think of themselves as a part of the system.

“In Pakistan, the debate is about improving the quality of democracy,” Chaudhry told a seminar organised by the information ministry. “There is a need to introduce democratic culture in political parties, ensure rule of law and protect fundamental rights,” he added.

The minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was striving to transform the society but all institutions will have to transform themselves. He added that political parties of the country were far away from democracy and their only objective was to come to power through all means.

Chaudhry said that political parties in Pakistan wanted democracy in the country but they were against bringing democratic culture within their own ranks. Referring to the PPP, he said it is a party, which claimed to be champion of democracy, got its chairman selected through a will by his mother.

Similarly, the minister added, the senior leaders of the PML-N like Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal were humiliated by Mariam Nawaz only because she was the daughter of the party leader Nawaz Sharif.

He said there was no ideology in most of the political parties as many times Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari entered into alliance and many times parted ways when their interests clashed. Similarly he said in the past, Altaf Hussain and Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been part of every government.

Asad Umar said that a basic democratic structure existed in the country and its principles were being fulfilled through political parties, elections and voting. He added that the current 13-year period was the “longest continuous period” of the country’s history in which the democratic process had worked.

He added they politicians would only be considered democratic representatives when they were “truly answerable to the people”. Also, he said, elected representatives would have to answer in the courts if they violated any law.

He said that democracy was not complete without an independent judiciary. However, he stressed that a balance was needed where courts had the final right to interpret the law and served as checks and balances on the government but were in turn also checked by the law.

The minister also highlighted journalism as one of the key pillars and said a democratic society and system could not be formed or run until journalists were independent. “Any information minister should not have the right to stop any journalist from speaking the truth.”

However, he added, the information minister also had the responsibility to protect citizens from fake news which counted as defending democracy. He called on the media to move beyond “self-regulation”, saying that the decision to remove regulators from other sectors and leaving them to self-regulate would not be received warmly by the media itself.

Lastly, he said: “Tanks and planes can’t defend democracy. Democracy is strengthened when the people think of themselves as a part of the system.”

He added: “This is Imran Khan’s vision that when you make every Pakistani a participant and everyone gets justice, Pakistan and democracy will be strengthened.”

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)