ELECTORAL REFORMS IN PAKISTAN

Main suggestions towards electoral reforms revolve around institutional, financial, managerial,
technological and societal reforms, through which people of all sects can participate in elections
and vote their candidates, knowing their issues and representing their rights. These are based on
the following initiatives:

A new national census to verify voters and to reconstitute the fresh boundaries of electoral
constituencies ensuring equal representation irrespective of land area.

Election commission members must be selected through parliamentary voting.

Needs to replace the old voting system with proportional representation to ensure true
representation in proportion to legislatures' strength in their electorates.

No more elections without Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Parliament’s term to be reduced to 3 years which would provide more chances of accountability
of politicians by voters in case of their representatives’ poor performance.

Check and control on the candidate expenses during the election campaign to give equal chances
to more people with lesser budgets.

To guarantee electoral reforms are accurately implemented, full independence and sufficient
resources to Election Commission (EC) by strengthening its autonomous authority.
 GLOBAL IMAGE OF PAKISTAN DUE TO TERRORISM

The conflict and instability in Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks and their regional
implications had very negative repercussions, for the years following the US invasion of
Afghanistan not only saw a huge influx of Afghan refugees across the border into Pakistan but
also witnessed a sudden spike in the frequency and scale of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The
cumulative impact of these developments adversely impacted the overall growth rate in all major
sectors of the economy.

Pakistan continues to pay a heavy price both in the economic and security terms due to this
situation and a substantial portion of precious national resources both men and material, have
been diverted to address the emerging security challenges for the last several years. The rise of
violent extremism and increase in terrorism in Pakistan due to instability in Afghanistan not only
caused serious damage to Pakistan’s economy but has also been responsible for widespread
human suffering due to indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population and has created a
very negative image of the country in globe.

This situation disrupted Pakistan’s normal economic and trading activities which not only
resulted in higher costs of business but also created disruptions in the production cycles,
resulting in significant delays in meeting the export orders around the globe. As a result,
Pakistani products have gradually lost their market share to their competitors. Consequently,
economic growth could not picked up as planned. Investment outflow and negative trends of out
sourcing of capital in Pakistan has further added to the woes of dwindling performance of the
export-oriented industry.

During the last 14 years, the direct and indirect cost incurred by Pakistan due to incidents of
terrorism amounted to us$ 106.98 billion equivalent to rs. 8,702.75 billion.

The Pakistan would have probably faced international isolation, but with restless efforts of
Pakistan army in the tenure of COAS General Raheel Sharif successfully conducted major army
operations i.e. Zarb-e-Azb and Rad-ul-Fasad under National Action Plan drastically reduced and
eliminated Terrorism from Pakistan.

As an achievement we can see international cricket teams are now visiting Pakistan for cricket
matches and international players are also participating in Pakistan Super league.
 CHARACTERISTIC OF GOOD GOVERNANCE
AND CREATING GOOD GOVERNANCE IN PAKISTAN

2. Attributes of Good Governance

- General Public Welfare and State's Health
- Health, Education, Standard of Living
- Provision of fundamental rights
- Provision of Basic Necessities

3. Crisis of Good Governance in Pakistan

- Sectors badly governed in Pakistan
- Institutions badly governed in Pakistan
4. Causes of Good-Governance Crisis
- Personalization rather than institutionalization
- Corruption and nepotism
- Ineffective short-term policies
- Wrongly set priorities
- Weak accountability
- Weak state governing institutions
- Political instability

The government should formulate effective measures to solve this massive issue. Lack of
accountability, improper use of funds, is increasing the rate of inflation. The country is under
debt crises, primarily due to the absence of accountability. Corruption can easily be dealt with
proper channel of accountability and thorough check and balance of the funds. To top it all,
declining law and order situation of Pakistan has created a sense of fear and insecurity.
Pakistan’s involvement in international conspiracies too has become the norm of the day.

The essentials for good governance to thrive are: public participation, national consistency,
national integration, constitutional supremacy, institutional supremacy, strong foundation,
independent judiciary, media independence and socioeconomic development. Both democracy
and good governance are interconnected. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Democracy is for the
people by the people and through the people.” Active participation of the masses is important for
a democratic setup.

Public participation in political decision-making is pivotal to good governance. Public support

and cooperation possesses great importance in good governance. It covers the way for good
governance. Constitutional supremacy is very important in this regard. It provides a framework
for policymakers. Socioeconomic development provides a strong foundation to governance. It is
inclusive and covers the majority of the population, while offering massive employment
opportunities and a proper education system to the masses. There is also rule of law, a powerful
system of accountability and eradication of corruption, etc
 REDUCTION IN WATER CRISIS BY EFFECTIVE WATER MANAGEMENT

Pakistan can get more economic, social and environmental benefits from its water, subject to
urgent reforms to improve water use efficiency and service delivery.
Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, is well-endowed with water, water
availability per person is comparatively low. Water wastage is high and agricultural yields are
low compared to most countries.
Although climate change and transboundary issues are a significant hindrance for Pakistan’s
water sector, the greatest challenges and opportunities are internal, not external, to Pakistan. So,
improving water use efficiency and productivity, delivery of water services in cities and in
irrigation, and addressing environmental sustainability are the most pressing needs.
Water security in Pakistan is reaching a critical point that demands urgent attention and reform.
Boosting irrigation productivity, while paying more attention to the social and environmental
aspects of water management, is critical. This will require strong collaboration between federal
and provincial governments and other stakeholders. The objective must be to strengthen water
governance and strategic water planning to build resilience in the face of a changing climate and
growing water demands.
While irrigation dominates water use in the country, the four major crops (rice, wheat, sugarcane
and cotton) that use 80 percent of water contribute only 5 percent of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP). Poor water management is conservatively estimated to cost 4 percent of GDP or around
$12 billion per year. These costs are dominated by inadequate domestic water supply and
sanitation, but also include the costs of floods and droughts. Poor sanitation and a lack of
wastewater treatment cause water-borne diseases that kill 40,000 children each year. Rivers,
lakes and the extensive Indus Delta are severely degraded undermining important ecosystem
services.
New dams can help improve water security but will not address the most pressing water
problems that Pakistan faces. “Irrigation systems need modernizing; hydromet systems
should be expanded; and urban water infrastructure, especially for wastewater, requires
major investment. The National Water Policy provides a sound basis for reform, but provincial
water policies need much attention, and the underpinning legal framework is incomplete and
needs strengthening.”
Water scarcity need not limit growth. Irrigation water use can increase to meet growing food
demands if efficiency improvements are made. Changes in diet with increasing wealth will have
significant impacts on commodity demands and crop choices. Agricultural subsidies must be
reformed to reflect real value of commodity exports and of water. Without reform, irrigation
water use will limit water access by industry and services sectors, constraining economic growth.
Attention must be given to increasing flows below Kotri Barrage both for the health of the delta
and for Karachi water supply.
 CRISIS OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN INSTITUTIONS AND REMEDIES

Good governance comes through strong and independent institutions of the state. These institutions need to be built, sustained and
stronger than individuals. Unfortunately, a little effort has been made to build institutions on a stable footing in Pakistan since
independence and individuals have taken precedence over institutions. Pakistan suffers from a number of crises but the crisis of
good governance is on top because it is the core of all other problems. Our country is suffering from weak institutional set-up,
political instability, rampant corruption, lack of accountability and transparency and bad law and order situation. All these
issues have seriously pushed off the country to an abysmal state of poor governance.
Every government looks down upon the policies of the previous government, throws those away and establishes new ones. Due to
bad governance education, health, civic services, agricultural infrastructure are all in bad state. Even the most basic social needs of
citizens are not fulfilled. Law and ordered situation is deteriorating and people are being robbed and killed in bright day light. People
don’t feel safe and secure. Places of worship have to be guarded for the fear of terrorism. This sorry state of law and order scare the
investors away from the country thereby severely harming the economy.
One of the most damaging effects of bad governance is the prevalence of corruption that ultimately results in lawlessness and the
biggest hindrance in the way of development. The absence of impartial and independent accountability has resulted in the growth of
this monster. It has become a norm in our society rather than an exception.
One of the most damaging effects of bad governance is the prevalence of corruption that ultimately results in lawlessness
and the biggest hindrance in the way of development. The absence of impartial and independent accountability has resulted in
the growth of this monster. It has become a norm in our society rather than an exception.

Good Governance stands for poverty alleviation. It has always been a favourite buzzword in our economic and social development
circles. Almost every democratic government has launched poverty reduction programs but all proved futile and ended in corruption.
Accountability is a crucial point in good governance – the rulers and the institutions of the state are accountable to people. But,
it is very hard to find it in Pakistan’s weak institutional set-up.

Merit or fairness is essential for good governance and the both support each other. But in our country merit is given least
importance. Nepotism and favouritism are the order of the day. Our once very strong institutions like PIA, Pakistan Railway,
Pakistan Steel etc. are now in state of paralyse. All the cities in any province is not getting equal share of development.
Developing one city in any province at the cost of basic facilities, like hospitals, schools and colleges, clean drinking water etc., of
the other cities is another example of bad governance. One city gets the road network, underpasses and overhead bridges and the
others don’t have the basic road network. This disparity has created bad feelings among people living in small cities. Similarly,
unemployment, illiteracy are other aspects which speak volume about sorry state of governance.

The governance at institutional level can be improved through

1. Tax reforms:
2. Improvements in audit and accounts
3. Reform and innovation in government:
4. Public information and statistical management:
5. Devolution and police reforms:
6. Young Development Fellowship Programme:
7. Monitoring of the federally-funded projects:
8. Meritorious Appointment in all departments