This week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) registered 15 new parties; five of them calling themselves the Pakistan Muslim League, with various suffixes of some kind attached to their names. It is becoming impossible to keep track of the number of Muslim Leagues we have now. What is frightening is that while each of the 182 parties in the country has a manifesto — at least on paper — few do anything to follow what these documents say beyond submitting them to the ECP. The Political Parties Order of 2002 makes it quite easy to register a party and this is partly why we have a growing list of such bodies in our country.
It is also a fact that there is a marginal difference between the ideologies stated by these parties. Most spout the same rhetoric over and over again; almost none do anything to even put this into effect. Many of them exist simply to accommodate egos or as a kind of hobby for individuals who have little else to do. Some use their groups as bargaining chips ‘selling’ symbols to other parties which seek them. The All Pakistan Muslim League of former president Pervez Musharraf is, for instance, currently seeking the ‘eagle’ already allotted to another party as its symbol.
What is most disturbing is the fact that the rules laid down for the existence and functionality of these parties are simply not followed. For instance, almost none of them conduct intra-party elections despite the clear-cut requirements that they ought to do so. Documents which indicate that such practices occur are simply falsified. Only a handful of parties have any kind of representation in any assembly. Thus, this phenomenon is an indication of the distorted state of our politics and we must work to correct it.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2012.
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