PESHAWAR
\nPolitical parties are the pre-requisite of every democratic system to run the government affairs through its elected representatives and solve people\u2019s problems.
\n\u201cIn democratic countries, the success of political parties in general election largely depend on the political behaviour and psychological-economic factors, past service record and manifestos of political parties rather launching of personal attacks, blame games, characters assassination of political leadership and dragging state institutions into politics,\u201d Professor Dr A.H Hilali, former Chairman Political Science Department, University of Peshawar while talking to APP on Sunday.
\nHe said issues-based political debates help in broadening of voters\u2019 understanding and resolution of socioeconomic and political issues besides promoting political harmony.
\nHe said a permanent political divide with no channel of communication and political intolerance retards the political and economic development besides widening the economic gap between influentials and underprivileged.
\nHe said if the existing trend of political intolerance, accusations and blame games among politicians continued in Pakistan, then it would be extremely difficult to bring political and economic stability to the country despite holding of general election.
\nIn democratic process, he said the doors to political dialogue among religious and political entities were always open to take decisions in national interest and for people\u2019s well being.
\nHe said unfortunately our politicians did not learn lessons from our history and again started wrangling by closing the doors of political dialogue ahead of election despite the country\u2019s difficult economic situation.
\nHe said the absence of political dialogue, elections\u2019 rigging and corruption allegations and confrontation politics had led to the dismissal of several political governments in the past.
\nThe government of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was dismissed after the nine religious and political parties under the platform of Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) had launched agitation movement claiming electoral fraud despite strong rejection by the PPP and subsequently democracy was packed up for the third time on July 5, 1977.
\nThe elected assemblies and the governments of former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif twice each were dismissed in 90s due to political intolerance, confrontation politics and elections rigging allegations despite strong denial by PPP and PMLN leadership and its negative outcome came before us in the shape of fourth martial law on October 12, 1999.
\n\u201cTo grab voters\u2019 attentions, different political stunts such as blame games and characters assassination were being used by the political actors against each others in a bid to reach power corridors and implement their party manifestos,\u201d he said.
\nHe said the use of sarcastic, pathetic and wretched remarks against political personalities during election rallies and TV talks shows damage political atmosphere and create hatred among political workers besides creating political polarisation.
\nHe said that unfortunately principles based politics was deteriorating because of the deep political polarisation and wrangling among political forces for the sake of power.
\n\u201cDemocracy gets weaker in the absence of political tolerance and could only flourish through mutual coexistence and broader connectivity among all political stakeholders.\u201d
\nThe slogans such as calling PDM leadership as thieves and Imran Khan\u2019s alleged daughter from Sita White would serve no purpose rather would create distance among political elites and workers.
\nManzoorul Haq, former Ambassador of Pakistan while talking to APP on Sunday said that in civilised world, policies of the political government, service delivery of political parties and their implications were discussed and criticized during election debates rather launching personal attacks, abusive language, scandals and character assassination against each others.
\n\u2018I have travelled to several countries and saw many election campaigns in GULF, Europe, Africa and UK where political leaders respect each others point of view, democratic norms, traditions and principles in debates and talk shows on TVs rather using abusive language, scandals and family lives.\u201d
\n\u201cIn western democracies, people did not show any concerns about the personal lives of their political leaders as long as they sincerely deliver service for the country and address their problems, he said.
\nHe said in confrontation politics in Pakistan has negatively impacted democratisation of perspectives and narratives where most of political leaders use ill tactics of misinformation and narrative distortion, resultantly, the political unity, governance and institutional growth were compromised.
\nHe said the economy of any country functions well when their was political stability, adding \u201cwe should not forget million of flood victims who were still looking for our assistance besides the country\u2019s current weak economic situation in mind before going for separate elections for provincial and national assemblies.\u201d
\nThe media and intelligentsia role is very important for education of voters and discouraging hate-based speeches, and dragging state institutions into politics.
\nFollowing announcement of the election date ie April 30 for Punjab Assembly, the election campaign would heat up in upcoming days especially in Punjab province where all political leaders including Pakistan Muslim League N Senior Vice Prrsident and Chief Organizer, Maryam Nawaz and PTI Chairman Imran Khan have started addressing public rallies.
\nIkhtair Wali, PMLN KP spokesman said that people would reject all those elements that leveled baseless allegations against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PMLN leadership.
\nHe termed the ouster of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on July 28, 2017, in the Panama leaks case was a big tragedy from which Pakistan has not yet recovered, adding it was unfortunate that no elected premier has completed his five years term in the country\u2019s history.
\nHe said that all characters that played role in ouster of an elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and bringing Imran Khan into power were stand exposed before masses.
\nHe said his party believed in political dialogue and reconciliation, adding the Charter of Democracy signed between former Prime Ministers, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a great example of political reconciliation that later led to an adoptation of the landmark 18th constitutional amendment that returned all powers back to the parliament, granted provincial autonomy to the federating units, identity to people of KP after renaming NWFP and abolishment of the draconian 58 2 (B) article from the constitution.
\nOn the other hand, Wali claimed that PTI was responsible for creating political division in society and destroying the country\u2019s economy.
\nHe said Imran\u2019s recent accusations against former President Asif Ali Zardari was an attempt to create hatred against political opponents.
\nHe claimed that PTI\u2019s Jail Bharo Tehreek and Imran Khan\u2019s plaster drama was completely flopped. PTI has shattered the confidence of voters of KP and Punjab after prematurely dissolving the two provincial assemblies and lost footings in both provinces where they would now face people\u2019s wrath in upcoming elections.
\nThe billion trees afforestration project was taken over by the NAB while BRT was completed on very high cost compare to Islamabad and Multan metros, thus wasting of huge taxpayers money by PTI that also left the country\u2019s into the brink of economic collapse, he said.
\nIkhtair said PTI had deceived people on the hollow slogan of \u201c accountability and change\u201d as the former PTI government closed its own created Ehtishab Commission at Peshawar besides the province was put under huge loans burden.
\nANP leader and former KP Minister, Wajid Ali Khan said political reconciliation was imperative to take ship of democracy to safe shores.
\nHe said if Bangladeshi leaders Hasnia Wajid and Khalida Zia could sit across the table for the sake of their countrymen, then why the government and opposition parties in Pakistan can\u2019t sit together for holding a grand dialogue on economic and political issues besides general election.
\nWajid Ali said KP has been pushed to the verge of financial default by the PTI\u2019s incompetent rulers, who failed to take up the case of Rs61.89 billion net hydel profit\u2019s arrears with the federation and even with Imran Khan\u2019s government and later PTI runaway by dissolving the KP Assembly after destroying the economy.
\nThe political experts urged all political leaders to avoid personal attacks, character assassination, blame games and dragging state institutions into politics during elections meetings, public rallies and TV shows rather focus on people welfare programs and past performances, which was imperative for establishment of healthy political culture and stability of democracy in Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Political parties are the pre-requisite of every democratic system to run the government affairs through its elected representatives and solve people\u2019s problems. \u201cIn democratic countries, the success of political parties in general election largely depend on the political behaviour and psychological-economic factors, past service record and manifestos of political parties rather launching of personal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-317753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n