Speakers at a seminar on Friday, while appreciating all the political parties for agreeing on a code of conduct for the upcoming general election, termed it a significant achievement which would ensure free, fair and transparent polls in the country. The seminar was organised by Jinnah Institute with the support of Asia Foundation on the recently promulgated code of conduct for political parties.
The seminar was attended by leaders of various political parties, members of civil society, journalists and researchers. The seminar was a culmination of the consultation process carried out across Pakistan on the code of conduct by the Jinnah Institute. Over 15 political parties participated in the nation-wide consultation, and the recommendations and observations gathered from the exercise were passed on to relevant institutions, including the Election Commission of Pakistan, local authorities, political parties, and the caretaker government. Raza Rumi, Director Jinnah Institute, said: "It is a significant achievement that the political parties themselves have agreed on a code of conduct."
Gareth Aicken, the Asia Foundation's country representative, said that it was a major achievement in the context of Pakistan's history that the National Assembly had completed its full term. "Political parties now have a responsibility to adhere to the rules they have agreed on," he added.
He said that a successful transition now may build up trust in the democratic system of governance for generations to come. Khwaja Izhar-ul-Hassan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) spoke about the importance of ensuring an even playing field for all political parties.
Referring to the code of conduct, Hassan said that the MQM was the most disciplined party of the country. "We will ensure that all our candidates and members abide by the rules and regulations," he added. Jan Achakzai of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) stressed the importance of facilitation of women voters, and said that his party was committed to ensuring implementation of the code of conduct.
Colonel Younus of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) said that the process of scrutiny of candidates' papers needed to be improved with greater emphasis on finances. He said that there were problems in the process, but they would not be fixed until they were not properly identified. Siddique-ul-Farooq of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said that the political process showed that the Pakistani nation was moving forward in the right direction, despite problems.
He highlighted the role of media in strengthen democracy. Regarding the code of conduct, he said that it was a very positive sign that every political party supported the same. Afzal Khan, Additional Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan, also participated in the discussion, and highlighted the role of his organisation to ensure free and fair elections.
Comments
Comments are closed.