Democratic culture in political parties to improve standard of democracy: Fawad Ch
Democratic culture in political parties to improve standard of democracy: Fawad Ch
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Wednesday that Pakistan was one of the few countries in the world which were created through democratic process and it had a functioning democratic system.
Addressing a seminar on the international day of democracy organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, he said that in Pakistan, the debate was about improving the quality of democracy.
He said there was a need to introduce democratic culture in political parties, ensure rule of law and protect fundamental rights of all irrespective of caste, creed or political affiliation.
He said that Imran Khan was striving for transformation of the society but all institutions would have to transform them.
The minister said that Pakistan had one of the most independent and vibrant media in the world, adding However there was need for its regulation, but a section of media owners wanted that they should be allowed self-regulation.
He said that Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar had rightly said that in such a situation, all regulatory authorities would have to be closed. Unfortunately, advertisements against the Prime Minister and Information Minister have been aired in the media for 5 days on a fake ordinance, which did not exist.
He said a section of the media in Pakistan believed that it had the right to criticize every person and institution but no one could regulate it.
He said that political parties were far away from democracy and their only objective was to come to power through all means.
Fawad said that political parties in Pakistan wanted democracy in the country but they were against bringing democratic culture within political parties.
Referring to the PPP, he said it was ludicrous that a party which claimed to be champion of democracy got its chairman selected through a will by his mother. Similarly, the minister said that senior leaders of the PML-N like Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal were humiliated by Mariam Nawaz only because she was the daughter of Nawaz Sharif.
He said there was no ideology in most of the political parties as many times Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari entered in alliance and many times parted ways when their interests clashed. Similarly he said in the past, Altaf Hussain and Maulana Fazlur Rehman had been part of every government.
He said that unfortunately, the system of self-accountability within constitutional institutions had also declined over time.
Despite the rule of majority in a democracy, protection of minority rights was also important in modern democracy, otherwise it would be a flawed democracy, he added.
The minister said the current system in India could not be interpreted as real democracy as the rights of Muslims and other minorities were being trampled by the hardline Hindu ruling party.
He said that in the 13th century, the Magna Carta rights bill laid the foundation of modern democracy.
The three pillars of democracy included human rights, the rule of law and participatory form of government, he said adding the present era was the age of information, democracy and information go side by side.
