Study launch: Call for citizens’ empowermen

There is the need to build people’s capacity so they can take part in the political process effectively, says Khalique

ISLAMABAD:

Speaking at the launch of baseline studies, experts on Wednesday called for citizens’ empowerment in the democratic process.

The launch was organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad on Wednesday. The studies are part of the AAWAZ programme, a five-year accountability project that seeks to strengthen democratic processes in the country.

Harris Khalique, team lead of the AAWAZ project, said there is the need to build people’s capacity so they can take part in the political process effectively.

The baseline studies were conducted regarding public service delivery, the political participation of women and alternate dispute resolution.

They found that the public service delivery mechanism does not seem to be on the priority list of public office bearers.

Also, women’s political participation is negligible and has suffered due to the suspension of the local governance system.

Lastly, people in rural areas consider informal dispute resolution mechanisms such as Jirga’s to be more effective than courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2013.