Tag: (PILDAT)

Islamabad, March 11, 2023 (PPI-OT):The 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan® released its report, outlining the key issues and recommendations discussed during the term, 2022-23. The Youth Parliament Pakistan® is a platform for young people to engage in democratic processes and gain experience in parliamentary practices.

The report highlights the diverse perspectives and ideas of the participants, who represent different regions and backgrounds across Pakistan. It provides insights into the priorities and concerns of young people in Pakistan and offers recommendations for addressing these issues.

The report serves as an important contribution to ongoing efforts to promote youth engagement and democratic participation in Pakistan.

PILDAT and YPP® Secretariat would like to give a special shout-out to The Bank of Punjab, Interloop, Geo/Jang group and The University of Lahore for their generosity and belief in the 17th YPP® mission.

Thanks to their partnership, 17th YPP® has been able to make a significant impact in the community. PILDAT and YPP believe that it is through partnerships like these that Pakistan can create a more inclusive, democratic and successful society.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT)
P.O. Box 278, F-8, Postal Code: 44220, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: info@pildat.org
Website: www.pildat.org

Islamabad, January 27, 2023 (PPI-OT):The 17th Youth Parliament of Pakistan made history on Saturday, January 21, 2023 as they passed a bill to revive student unions, long banned in the country, and a motion declaring that democracy has not delivered for the people of Pakistan.

In a largely unanimous vote, the young leaders of the 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan voted to empower students to have a voice in the decision-making processes of their educational institutions and to promote active participation in the democratic process.

The bill, hailed as a ‘game-changer’ for the future of education and leadership in Pakistan, will give students the opportunity to shape their own futures and create a more equitable and just society. The SU Bill is inspired by Sindh Students’ Union Act, 2022 but with significant amendments incorporated by voting in the latest session of YPP at Islamabad.

But the 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan didn’t stop there. In a bold move, they also passed a Resolution declaring democracy in Pakistan has not lived up to its promise in Pakistan. The motion calls for a re-evaluation of the democratic system in the country and for efforts to be made to ensure that the voices of the people are heard and represented in government.

The 17th Youth Parliament, made up of young trailblazers from across the country, is a platform for the next generation of leaders to come together and make their mark on the future of Pakistan. The passing of these bills and motions is a powerful statement from the youth of the nation, demanding that their voices be heard and their rights be respected.

The Youth Parliament Pakistan powered by PILDAT is committed to shaking things up and creating a more inclusive and democratic society in Pakistan. With the passing of this and similar bills and motions, the Youth is making its contribution towards a brighter future of Pakistan.

Earlier in the morning session, members held a detailed and candid dialogue with officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan to discuss the prospects of a free and fair election in Pakistan, role of youth in the democratic process and ways to increase voter turn-out of young people.

The dialogue was focused on the challenges facing youth voter participation in Pakistan and ways to address them. Discussions included issues such as voter registration, education and awareness, political finance and the use of technology in the electoral process.

The dialogue with the Election Commission is a step towards understanding the electoral process, role of ECP and empowering young people to have a voice in the democratic process and to ensure that their voices are heard and represented in government. The Election Commission of Pakistan, for its part, expressed its commitment to working with the youth and committed to take the feedback from youth into account as they plan for future elections.

Senior officials who attended the dialogue from ECP included Ms. Nighat Siddique, Additional Director General-Gender Affairs, Mr. Adnan Sakhawat, Deputy Director-Training, Mr. Naveed ur Rehman, Deputy Director-Local Government, Mr. Ibrar Jatoi, Deputy Director-Elections.

In the afternoon session, members of 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan exchanged views on the economic turmoil in Pakistan with a dialogue with a panel of experts including Mr. Zafar Masud, CEO and President, Bank of Punjab and Mr. Ali Salman, Executive Director of Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME).

The panel shared their insights on the current economic challenges facing Pakistan and discussed potential solutions with the youth parliamentarians. The dialogue was an enlightening exchange of ideas, as the young leaders of the nation questioned the panel on topics such as inflation, unemployment, entrepreneurship and the role of the government in addressing the economic crisis. But the dialogue was not all doom and gloom.

The panel also shared their optimistic visions for the future of the economy, highlighting potential opportunities for growth and development. The Youth Parliament Pakistan is committed to finding solutions to the economic challenges facing the country.

The panelists praised the youth parliamentarians for their curiosity, intelligence and engagement on the matter. They also praised their efforts to seek solutions and to be part of the solution, empower themselves and gain knowledge and tools they need to shape the future of Pakistan.

The Secretariat, Members of the 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan and PILDAT, extended heartfelt thanks to the partners for being the wind beneath the YPP’s wings. Without their unwavering support, YPP would not have been able to soar to new heights and achieve the impact that it did today.

YPP expressed deep appreciation for their financial support that has allowed it to organize sessions of YPP including debates, dialogues and on-line sessions where young leaders came together to voice their opinions, share their ideas and interacted with leading intellectuals, corporate leaders and officials from various walks of life.

PILDAT and YPP Secretariat would like to give a special shout-out to Interloop Ltd., The Bank of Punjab, Geo/Jang group and The University of Lahore for their generosity and belief in the YPP mission. Thanks to their partnership, YPP has been able to make a significant impact in the community. PILDAT and YPP believe that it is through partnerships like these that Pakistan can create a more inclusive and democratic society.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT)
P.O. Box 278, F-8, Postal Code: 44220, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: info@pildat.org
Website: www.pildat.org

Islamabad, January 27, 2023 (PPI-OT):This update is meant to identify key developments during the month on Performance of Democratic Institutions in Pakistan with selected high-profile international developments included occasionally.

NSC discusses Economic Situation and Terrorism

ECP does not have the authority to proceed against officials: LHC Verdict

The Saga of Local Government Elections in the ICT

Terrorist Attack on Pakistan Embassy Kabul

Did Army really stop interference in politics since February 2021?

Additional Funds for Defence Ministry due to Inflation and Oil Process

LHC suspends Governor Punjab’s order of de-notifying CM Punjab

Shehbaz Sharif was offered to be PM prior to GE 2018: Khawaja Muhammad Asif

254th Corps Commanders Conference

Speaker National Assembly meets Foreign Dignitaries

Chairman Senate meets Foreign Dignitaries

Interactions of COAS with Foreign Dignitaries

Prime Minister’s Interactions with COAS

NSC discusses Economic Situation and Terrorism

A day before the end of 2022, Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), his second since assuming office of PM in April 2022.

Interestingly, the NSC meeting was first convened on Friday, December 30 and was adjourned for the weekend, only to resume its conclusion on Monday, January 2 [1]. It, however, raises the question that why the government did not hold the NSC meeting on the critical subjects of economy and terrorism in the past eight (8) months.

The official press release issued from the PMO on January 2 after the conclusion of the NSC meeting said that the forum highlighted that ‘comprehensive ‘National Security’ revolves around economic security and that sovereignty or dignity comes under stress without self-sufficiency and economic independence.’

Without adding details on how to achieve this economic security, a paragraph was devoted in the PMO presser on the NSC taking a ‘comprehensive review’ of the economic challenges where the Finance Minister briefed the NSC on ‘economic stability roadmap’ including ‘relief measures for common people’ ‘imports rationalization’ improving ‘agricultural output and manufacturing sector’ ‘food security’ ‘imports substitution’ and ‘employment,’ etc. [2]

The second message emanating from the NSC was terrorism incidents facing Pakistan, especially in KP and Balochistan.

Without naming the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the PMO press release shared that the NSC “concluded that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguard her people.” The NSC also ‘reiterated its resolve to have zero tolerance for terrorism and reaffirmed its determination to take on any and all entities that resort to violence.

This will be dealt with full force of the state. Pakistan’s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of the Pakistan’s territory, stated the press release.

This was the first NSC meeting after General Syed Asim Munir assumed the charge of the Chief of Army Staff.

Two days later, the position taken by Pakistan was supported by the US which said that Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism and reminded Afghan Taliban to uphold their commitment to not allow their soil to be used as a Launchpad for international terrorist attacks.

ECP does not have the authority to proceed against officials: LHC Verdict

In a curious development, the Lahore High Court declared invalid the action by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against officials allegedly involved in irregularities in the Daska by-election held on February 19, 2021.

In a verdict by Justice Shujaat Ali Khan of the LHC setting aside proceedings against more than a dozen officials of the provincial departments initiated by the ECP for their role in the alleged rigging in the by-poll, the judge observed that the ECP does not have the authority to proceed as these officials do not fall within the definition of election officials. [4]

The ECP enquiry reports into the NA-75 Sialkot IV by-election held in February 2021 or the Daska by-election, as it is popularly known, was celebrated as a defining moment for the ECP on its way towards exercising its constitutional power and independence.

The ECP inquiry resulted in suspension and transfer of district administration officials and its reports establishing misconduct of officials asked for both disciplinary and criminal proceedings against some for their misconduct.

The LHC verdict terming the ECP to not have the authority to proceed against these officials is neither supported by the Constitution nor the law. Article 218 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan confers upon the ECP as its duty to “organize and conduct the election and to make such arrangements as are necessary to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law, and that corrupt practices are guarded against.”

Section 55 of the Elections Act, 2017 further elaborates the powers of the ECP in terms of Disciplinary proceedings where the Parliament has authorised the ECP to initiate and finalise proceedings against election officials and may impose any penalty provided under Efficiency and Disciplinary Rules or any penalty provided under the Act.

PILDAT believes that the LHC verdict against the ECP’s clear constitutional legal mandate to do so and in favour of officials who had brazenly breached law and tried to rig the election at the behest of the provincial and perhaps also of federal government at the time would have long-term huge and disastrous impact on the future prospects of holding free and fair election in Pakistan.

The Saga of Local Government Elections in the ICT

A number of strange developments during December 2022 have impacted the holding of local government elections in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) that were scheduled by the ECP to be held on December 31, 2022.

Firstly, on December 22, the National Assembly hurriedly moved to amend the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015 and passed the amendment to the law by suspending the rules apparently only to delay the LG elections scheduled to be held in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) on December 31, 2022.

The bill passed by the Assembly changed existing 101 Union Councils in the ICT to 125 Union Councils while also allowing for the Federal Government, upon the recommendations of the Ministry of Interior, to change this number from time to time. The passed bill also provided for direct election of mayor and deputy mayor.

The ECP claimed the federal government moved to pass an amendment without its concurrence and that too just nine days before the polling day. [6] It rejected the move by the federal government and announced to hold the elections, as planned, on December 31. However, on December 23, the Islamabad High Court directed the ECP to decide the matter afresh after hearing all stakeholders on December 27.

On December 27, the ECP announced to postpone the LG elections in the ICT in view of the IHC judgement. However, hearing yet another petition by the PTI, an IHC division bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir directed the ECP on December 30 to hold the local government elections in ICT as planned on December 31.

The issue has remained suspended as the year ended with the fate of whether to hold LG elections in the ICT according to the previous or the amended law hanging in the Islamabad High Court.

Terrorist Attack on Pakistan Embassy Kabul

On December 2, Pakistan embassy’s compound in Kabul, Afghanistan was attacked, leaving one security guard critically injured. [10] The responsibility of the attack, which was directed at the head of the mission, Mr. Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani, was accepted by the IS-KP, as shared by Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, who tweeted that the Government would verify the veracity of the claim.

The attack was described as a “serious security lapse” was strongly condemned by Pakistan’s Foreign Office, though it was announced that the Pakistan embassy would continue to function normally and that Pakistan did not plan to withdraw diplomats from Kabul.

The attack is seen as part of the increased terrorist activity after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan in November. Since then, there have been multiple terrorist attacks across Pakistan resulting in precious loss of lives of personnel from Pakistan’s Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).

A terrorist attack took place in Laki Marwat on November 16 [12] which resulted in the martyrdom of six police and two Armed Forces personnel. Another suicide attack in Quetta on November 30 injured dozens of citizens and martyrdom of 4 persons including a police official. Yet another suicide attack in Miranshah resulted in the loss of three lives and multiple injured.

On December 18, detained militants inside a Bannu CTD facility took over its compound, held interrogators hostage and demanded safe evacuation to Afghanistan, while in a separate terrorist attack four policemen were martyred in Lakki Marwat.

In yet another militant suicide attack, this time in Islamabad on December 23, a policeman was martyred and at least six people including four police officers and two civilians were injured. [16] On December 25, five personnel from the Pakistan Army were martyred in an IED blast in Kahan, Balochistan.

Earlier, on December 08, the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) blamed the ‘peace talks’ with the TTP for the increase in terror attacks in the country. In a report presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, the NACTA said that the talks emboldened the TTP and increased their footprint and magnitude of activities in the country as withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan had given the group further impetus.

On December 1, when the Interior Minister claimed that the talks with the TTP were held after receiving authorisation from the Parliament, his claim was refuted publicly by MPs belonging to the PML-N and the PPP who maintained that no permission was ever sought from the Parliamentary committee which was only briefed.

It must be noted that the Parliament was only briefed on talks with the banned TTP in June 2022, a few weeks after the TTP had publicly announced in early June to indefinitely extend a ceasefire agreed with Pakistan. A statement issued from the PMO after the briefing had said that while a civil and military committee from Pakistan had been engaged in negotiations with the banned TTP (through facilitation by ‘Afghanistan government’) under the ambit of Pakistan’s constitution, any agreement with the TTP will be subject to approval by the Parliament.

It is however intriguing that while the parliament was briefed on the talks, the parliament or any of its committee neither debated the subject nor took a position on such a critical issue. The silence of the parliament, it seems, was construed by the government as approval to take the talks forward.

Did Army really stop interference in politics since February 2021?

Despite its significance, many contradictions have been offered publicly to refute the November 23rd statement of the outgoing Chief of Army Staff General (now retired) Bajwa [21] that the Pakistan Army realised its interference in politics had not been helpful and therefore it decided since February 2021 to never interfere in politics.

The first public contradiction refuting the claim of the outgoing COAS came from leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Mr. Moonis Elahi, on December 2 when he claimed that it was in fact COAS Bajwa himself who advised the PML to support the PTI in the run-up to the vote of No Confidence in April 2022.

Couple of days later, father of Mr. Moonis Elahi and Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi also said that it was Gen. Qamar Bajwa, COAS at the time, who had told the PML that the path towards Mr. Imran Khan was better for the party.

“God changed our path in the last moments and sent Bajwa sahib to show us the way. When I expressed my concerns about the Sharif’s and told him that I don’t trust them then Bajwa sahib said, ‘You should proceed carefully and the path going towards Imran is better for you and your friends,’” claimed Mr. Elahi during an interview with Bol News programme Tajzia on December 4. [23]

On December 18, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi again defended former COAS Bajwa against criticism by Mr. Imran Khan and said that the PML would no longer tolerate any remarks against former COAS Bajwa because he had been a ‘benefactor’ to both the PML and the PTI.

Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, however, criticized former DG ISI Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed for causing problems for him and his family. Mr. Elahi also added that he, along with his son had met Mr. Imran Khan a day earlier and requested him not to speak against former COAS Bajwa. He disclosed that Mr. Khan had also shared with them that he had received such requests (to not criticise outgoing COAS) from other quarters also.

On December 16, Mr. Imran Khan claimed publicly that it was Army Chief Bajwa who dictated the NAB on who to arrest.

Columnist and Anchor Javed Chaudhry’s columns published on December 27 and December 29 based on his 6-hour long interaction with former COAS Bajwa in the former’s home were used to convey former Gen. Bajwa’s response to the mounting criticism against him by Mr. Imran Khan.

In effect, however, Gen. (Retd.) Bajwa appeared to implicate himself in some damning unconstitutional acts. Mr. Javed Chaudhry termed at least two such acts by Gen. Bajwa as giving NRO or undue political facilitation first to Mr. Imran Khan in 2017 and second to Mr. Asif Ali Zardari in 2021.

In the first instance, Mr. Javed Chaudhry claims that Gen. Bajwa, upon being approached by Mr. Jahangir Tareen on behalf of Mr. Imran Khan, asked the ISI DG (C) Faiz Hameed in 2017 to ask Chief Justice at the time, Justice Saqib Nisar, to not disqualify Mr. Imran Khan as a result of which Mr. Imran Khan was declared Sadiq and Ameen by the Supreme Court on December 15, 2007 and instead Mr. Jahangir Tareen was disqualified in his place.

The second illegal and unconstitutional political facilitation by Gen. Bajwa while serving as COAS is claimed to have been made in favour of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari by facilitating the shifting of hearing of NAB cases against him from Islamabad to Karachi in a bid to break-up the PDM on request of Prime Minister at the time, Mr. Imran Khan. The shifting of cases was facilitated by the ISI DG at the time Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, claims Mr. Chaudhry.

The timeline of this from April 2021 [28] onwards to when the NAB opposed shifting of Zardari cases from Islamabad to Karachi before a 3-judge bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial in June 2021 [29] refutes the public claim by outgoing COAS Bajwa who said that the Army had decided to stop interfering in politics with effect from February 2021.

Additional Funds for Defence Ministry due to Inflation and Oil Process

In a meeting held between the Secretary Defence and Finance Minister on December 1, the Ministry of Defence sought additional funds from the federal budget to deal with rising fuel costs and overall inflation, Dawn reported.

The request for additional funds has been made a month after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had approved a supplementary grant of PKR 31 billion for the Defence Ministry on October 28.

LHC suspends Governor Punjab’s order of de-notifying CM Punjab

On December 23, a Lahore High Court bench headed by Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh and comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, Justice Muzammil Akhtar Shabir and Justice Asim Hafeez suspended the order by the Punjab Governor to de-notify Punjab CM Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, and restore his cabinet.

On December 21, Governor Punjab had ordered CM Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence and had de-notified him on December 22 for failing to seek a vote of confidence from the house as directed by Governor under Article 130(7) of the Constitution.

The Lahore High Court restored CM Punjab on the assurance that the provincial assembly will not be dissolved, at least until the next date of hearing.

Chairman PTI Mr. Imran Khan has publicly maintained that he plans to dissolve the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies if general elections are not held soon.

Shehbaz Sharif was offered to be PM prior to GE 2018: Khawaja Muhammad Asif

On December 26, Federal Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, and MNA said that the military establishment had tried to cut a deal with the PML-N before the 2018 election on “certain matters,” but Mr. Nawaz Sharif, Quaid PML-N did not agree, which resulted in the establishment facilitating Mr. Imran Khan in power.

Khawaja Muhammad Asif also claimed that an offer of Prime Ministership was also made to Mr. Shehbaz Sharif but he had chosen to side with the party leader.

254th Corps Commanders Conference

The 254th Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) was held on December 27-28, 2022 at the GHQ.

It was tweeted from the official account of the DG ISPR that the CCC presided over by Gen. Syed Asim Munir took a “comprehensive review of professional and organisational matters of Army,” and “it was resolved to fight against terrorists without any distinction and eliminate this menace as per aspirations of people of Pakistan.

Even though no official press release was issued on the change in appointment to the office of DG ISPR, the official twitter account of DG ISPR states that Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry is serving as the DG ISPR ‘since 6 December 2022.’

Speaker National Assembly meets Foreign Dignitaries

Raja Pervez Ashraf, Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan, interacted with following foreign dignitaries during December 2022:

On December 12, H.E. Yerlan Koshanov, Chairman Lower House of Parliament of Kazakhstan, called on Speaker, National Assembly at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

On December 16, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Islamic republic of Pakistan, Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin, met with Speaker, National Assembly at the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Lahore.

On December 21, Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Neil Hawkins, called on National Assembly at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

On December 22, Ambassador of Belgium, H.E. Mr. Charles Delogne, called on Speaker, National Assembly at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

On December 23, Somalia’s Interior Minister, Mr. Ahmed Fiqi and delegation of Parliamentarians from Somalia called on Speaker, National Assembly at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

Chairman Senate meets Foreign Dignitaries

Senator Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Chairman Senate of Pakistan, held following interactions with foreign dignitaries during December 2022:

On December 02, a delegation of Qatar led by member of the Qatar’s Royal Family, Sheikh Falah Bin Jassim called on the Chairman Senate at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

On December 13, Mr. Yerlan Koshanov, Chairman of Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan called on Chairman Senate at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

On December 14, Mr. Fawzi Al-Taher Al-Nuwairi, First Deputy Speaker of the Libyan House of Representative, called on Chairman Senate at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

On December 15, President Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmon, called on Chairman Senate at the Parliament House, Islamabad.

Interactions of COAS with Foreign Dignitaries

On December 1, Ambassador of United Arab Emirates to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Alzaabi, called on Gen. Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff at the GHQ. According to the ISPR, “matters of bilateral interest came under discussion” during the meeting.

Ambassador of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, also called on Gen. Syed Asim Munir at the GHQ on December 1 to discuss “matters of bilateral interest.”

Reportedly, General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff held a Video Teleconference with the US Centcom Commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla on December 2.

Later, on December 15, the US Centcom Commander called on General Syed Asim Munir at the GHQ, Rawalpindi

Prime Minister’s Interactions with COAS

Prime Minister Mr. Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Syed Asim Munir met each other as part of the two-day NSC meeting that was convened and chaired by Prime Minister on Friday, December 30 and on Monday, January 2, 2023. [49] Minister of Defence, alongside other members of the NSC from the Federal Cabinet, were part of the meeting.

Earlier, on December 22, the Army Chief accompanied the PM on visit to CMH Rawalpindi to meet officers and soldiers who got injured during the CTD complex Bannu Operation. Minister of Defence also accompanied the Prime Minister.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT)
P.O. Box 278, F-8, Postal Code: 44220, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: info@pildat.org
Website: www.pildat.org

Islamabad, December 10, 2022 (PPI-OT):In observance of National Voters Day in Pakistan on December 07, PILDAT convened a dialogue with youth, political party representatives, legislators, members of civil society, academia, the media, and the general public to discuss the voting process of the upcoming general elections and the steps that must be taken to ensure they are free and fair, and to increase youth voter participation. Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, the PILDAT president, chaired two panel discussions.

How to Ensure Upcoming General Elections Are Free, Fair, and Credible was the subject of the first panel discussion. The panellists were Mr. Fahd Husain, SAPM on Public Policy and Strategic Communications with the rank of Federal Minister, Syed Talat Husain, senior journalist, and Mr. Haroon Shinwari, Media and Outreach Wing of Pakistan’s Election Commission.

Mr. Husain, SAPM on Public Policy and Strategic Communications with the status of Federal Minister, remarked that there is pressure to ensure that the next elections are free, fair, and transparent because they will determine the stability of our nation and the trajectory of the country over the next few years. Prior to the next elections, a system must be developed and installed in a short amount of time.

Mr. Haroon Shinwari, ECP’s Media and Outreach Wing, presented the Election Commission of Pakistan’s perspective on election-related problems and outlined some of the measures ECP was doing to guarantee elections are fair and credible. They have spent 47 million PKR on awareness efforts to ensure inclusion, one of the determinants of a legitimate election. For the 2023 elections, there will be a total of one hundred thousand polling stations around the nation, each with four voting booths to accommodate a total of one thousand six hundred voters during the nine-hour voting day. To prevent election dispute, a real-time results technology has been tested and will be used in the next general election.

Syed Talat Hussain, a senior journalist, commented on the potential fairness of the 2023 elections by describing some of the challenges voters experience at the polls. Voters demand a more streamlined election process, particularly in terms of logistics, to be at peace. Voting booths should be placed in close proximity to each neighbourhood, modernising the electoral process. ECP must evolve into a system that is more complicated and adaptive, bringing voting to the doorsteps of citizens. He feels that next elections might bring up new challenges owing to power politics.

The subject of the second panel was Youth Voter Education and Information: How to Increase Youth Voter Participation? The panellists for this debate were Rana Ihsan Afzal Khan, Co-ordinator to PM on Commerce and Industry, Ms. Arifa Noor, Senior Journalist, and Mr. Haroon Shinwari, Media and Outreach Wing of Election Commission of Pakistan.

Rana Ihsan Afzal Khan, Co-ordinator to the Prime Minister for Commerce and Industry, encouraged youngsters to participate in the nation’s administration, referring to them as the country’s future. Youth is the majority in the voting group, yet when voter participation is measured, they become the minority; Pakistan must solve this dilemma. Youth must recognise that it is the government that makes policy choices that influence their day-to-day life and their future; thus, their participation in decision making is crucial.

Comparing Pakistan to other nations, he said, “Democracy in other nations has attained maturity and established continuity, but Pakistan’s past is replete with interferences.” He also underlined the significance of local governments, as they would engage the youth and solve their concerns at the local level. In Pakistan, the procedure for candidacy is faulty, with several impediments to entrance for young and aspiring leaders.

Ms. Arifa Noor, a senior journalist, suggested that instead of singling out young people, it should be emphasised that Pakistanis do not vote. Those under the age of 35 make up fifty percent of the population, thus rather than categorising them as young, the situation should be termed such that Pakistani citizens are not participating in the voting process. The political discourse does not centre on the challenges of our country or the young, which neither engages nor motivates the youth to vote. Without political stability, programmes would be subject to continual change, and progress could not be quantified. She emphasised the necessity for change inside political parties, adding that when a new generation emerges, fresh leadership should be introduced to appeal to young people.

Mr. Haroon Shinwari, Media and Outreach Wing, ECP, gave a few data on the youthful voting population and the steps ECP has implemented to improve youth awareness, including the Voter Education programme and gender sensitization programmes. Local governments should be active in all provinces, since doing so would inspire young people to run for office and voice their issues at the local level.

Representatives from civil society, academics, foreign embassies to Pakistan, attorneys, engineers, entrepreneurs, and journalists were among the 200 participants in the National Voters’ Dialogue hosted by PILDAT in Islamabad. In addition to these individuals, current and previous members of PILDAT’s Youth Parliament Pakistan were present at the event.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT)
P.O. Box 278, F-8, Postal Code: 44220, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: info@pildat.org
Website: www.pildat.org

Islamabad, August 27, 2022 (PPI-OT):In the early morning session on August 27, 2022, the 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan Members met to explore the recent trends of youth voter turnout in Pakistan and India at various levels of election (national, state, local). Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President PILDAT in a highly engaging panel discussion enlightened the youth about the significance of casting their votes and learning from India in increasing the youth voter turnout.

He shared some key statistics showcasing the low youth voter turnout for the time period 1988-2018 in Pakistan. It was observed through his findings that in Pakistan the youth voter turnout could only be increased by 2 percent rising from 35 percent in 1988 to 37 percent in 2018, whereas in India, the youth voter turnout rose by 9 percent from 60 percent in 1988 to 69 percent in 2018.

Mr. Mehboob appreciated the rising passion found among the Pakistani youth about politics and elections, but also identified the lack of depth in their political knowledge and awareness as key challenges. Young parliamentarians expressed their deep concern regarding rigging in elections due to which youth did not see value in casting their votes. To this, Mr. Mehboob encouraged the youth to realize their potential, become a pressure group, strive to improve the governance structure and read daily newspapers to stay informed of the political developments.

Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India (ECI), as the second panel member, shared his experience of interacting with youth as a part of the civil service in India and understanding their issues. He said that India, despite being a country of the youngsters has witnessed an increased percentage of indifferent young voters over the decades. To meet this challenge of low youth electoral participation, he shared the innovative initiatives taken by ECI under his leadership in 2011, such as conceptualizing and celebrating the National Voters’ Day on January 25, 2011.

Dr. Quraishi remarked that ECI adopted a few other creative entertainment ideas and launched the ‘Voter Education Division’ to host various socio-cultural and voting awareness programmes with the youth. He further added that in India, the exercise of mock parliaments at school level has proved to be helpful in familiarizing the students with the electoral and political process of the country along with active student unions. He emphasized the importance of student unions in the civic education of the youth of India.

While addressing the questions of the young parliamentarians of 17th YPP, Dr. Quraishi emphasized the need of targeted interventions in order to raise young voters turn out even in Pakistan and also stressed on how ECI resolved the initial technology and transparency issues raised by political parties about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and used them to further enhance the inclusivity of youth and women in the electoral process of India. Dr. S.Y. Quraishi appreciated the role of PILDAT in engaging youth in parliamentary, electoral and political subjects and urged the Pakistani youth to cast their votes.

Later in the afternoon, Mr. Musadaq Zulqarnain, Chairman Interloop Holdings (Pvt.) Limited spoke in an interactive session on Long Term Economic Viability of Pakistan in which he emphasized that Pakistan needs to become self-sustainable in the long run by controlling our import inflow. The rise in country’s current account deficit has also been problematic for Pakistan and to address this, we have to take loans from international institutions. According to him, our market is consumption-based and the foreign direct investment (FDI) we encourage is usually not export based.

Therefore, Pakistan should promote the export based FDIs to overcome deficit crisis such as the IT and health sectors FDI. Mr. Zulqarnain indicated a need in Pakistan to train young doctors, nurses, chefs and IT professionals. While addressing the questions of the young parliamentarians, Mr. Zulqarnain said that digitalization is the future of the world and Pakistan should pave a way towards digital economy. He highlighted the recent role played by digital data of COVID-19 vaccination which allowed the government to provide vaccine doses to the maximum number of people. He encouraged the youth to pursue freelancing and contribute towards strengthening freelance market in order to help Pakistan explore digital solutions and generate revenue.

Before the close of the second sitting of the Third virtual session, Mr. Muhammad Awais Arshad, NA-105 Faisalabad-V, Chairperson Youth Standing Committee on Political System, presented their proposed amendments to a Members’ Bill on Revival of Student Unions in Pakistan which was first proposed in the Second Virtual session of the 17th YPP. The Member’s Bill was aimed at reviving student unions in the country by reproducing and implementing the Sindh Student Unions Act, 2022 in various federating units and territories administered by Pakistan. The young parliamentarians then discussed and debated the amendments. The Bill was once again referred back to the Committee on Political System for further revision.

Previously on August 26, 2022, eminent educationist and modern scholar, Dr. Allama Javed Ahmad Ghamidi addressed the Third Virtual Session of the 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan on My vision of Pakistan. He enlightened the young parliamentarians about the challenges faced by the country and that it is important for them to stay dedicated to Pakistan and contribute to its development using their skills and talent. He shared his profound vision for the country in which he expressed that if we opt for promoting a nation state, then there will be no discrimination against minorities and the principles of equality and equity will prevail.

Allama Ghamidi urged the young parliamentarians to overcome the colonial mindset and instead celebrate their own identities, language, culture and history. Afterwards, Allama Ghamidi addressed various questions of MYPs in an interactive question and answer session, shedding light on how their contribution can shape the future of Pakistan and improve its overall standing in the world.

The Youth Parliament of Pakistan is a project of PILDAT and has been running for the past 17 years. The 17th YPP is supported by the Jang/Geo Group, Bank of Punjab, Interloop Limited, Islamabad Serena Hotel, FES Pakistan, University of Lahore and Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi.

For more information, contact:
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT)
P.O. Box 278, F-8, Postal Code: 44220, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: info@pildat.org
Website: www.pildat.org

Islamabad, June 06, 2022 (PPI-OT):The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) invited PILDAT and some other Civil Society organizations to meet with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Representatives visiting Pakistan from Vienna and the Country Reviewers for the second cycle of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) from Kenya and Qatar in accordance with Article 13 of the UNCAC which recognizes the important role of civil society in the prevention of corruption.

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) is a first legally binding international instrument on anti-corruption. Pakistan is among 181 UN member states which have ratified UNCAC. A mandatory requirement under UNCAC is a review of implementation of its clauses for each signatory state. Officially, through a peer-review system, experts of two countries (selected through balloting) review the anti-corruption laws and procedures of another state to assess its implementation of UNCAC provisions based on the information provided by that state. In addition, independent parallel implementation review of a country by its civil-society organizations is also encouraged.

The senior reviewers and experts from UNODC currently visiting Pakistan for the review process discussed with PILDAT a number of issues related to the status of corruption in Pakistan. PILDAT presented a copy of the first ever civil society parallel report on compliance of Pakistan with the UNCAC to the visiting delegation. PILDAT had undertaken an independent parallel review of Pakistan’s implementation of UNCAC in 2021 to assess the effectiveness of our state institutions and mechanisms to combat corruption. The report looks at Pakistan’s implementation of UNCAC Chapter II (Preventive Measures) and Chapter V (Asset Recovery), as part of the UNCAC review cycle.

The PILDAT parallel report underscores that Pakistan has made good progress on aspects of implementation and enforcement of UNCAC and in performance of some relevant institutions. The report highlights that within anti-corruption and oversight framework, Pakistan has implemented several important legal amendments in recent years that provide a budgetary oversight role for Parliament and has advanced access to information on the federal level.

The key recommendation by PILDAT in its parallel report is the urgent need to strengthen oversight mechanism of Parliament for Pakistan’s implementation of UNCAC. The Parliamentary Standing Committees on Law and Justice, as well as others, need to play an effective and active role in the oversight of the implementation of UNCAC in Pakistan. It is the duty of parliamentarians to require the executive to follow national and international obligations, and for successive governments to regularly and openly report to the Parliament on the fulfilment of international obligations.

The independent PILDAT parallel report is intended as a contribution to the currently ongoing second cycle of official UNCAC implementation review of Pakistan. PILDAT, however, believes that more work needs to be done to effectively implement Pakistan’s anti-corruption system and our international commitments.

The report can be accessed globally and is available here: https://uncaccoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/Parallel-Report-PILDAT-final-27.10.21.pdf

PILDAT appreciates NAB in taking a positive step by inviting civil society to participate in the review process of the second cycle currently being undertaken. It was one of the key recommendations made by PILDAT in its parallel report that was adopted by NAB.

For more information, contact:

Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT)

P.O. Box 278, F-8, Postal Code: 44220, Islamabad, Pakistan

Email: info@pildat.org

Website: www.pildat.org