report in The Express Tribune, Dec 26, 2023PESHAWAR: Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has said that the country can move forward only with the strength and continuity of democracy and the parties of oppressive landlords and corrupt capitalists are an obstacle to the stability of democracy. “Jamaat-e-Islami wants the rule of law instead of individuals while the rest of the parties have the theory of power of individuals or families,” Siraj said while addressing a workers’…
Posts tagged as “Democracy”
by Syed Irfan Raza in Dawn, Dec 4th, 2023The hullabaloo over the PTI’s intra-party elections has once again put the spotlight on the inherent lack of democracy that plagues most of Pakistan’s major political parties, with many raising questions about the democratic credentials of leaders who are unwilling to let popular opinion dictate who should and shouldn’t be in high-office. While the Election Commission of Pakistan-mandated exercise focused attention on the PTI’s internal hierarchy and…
by Imran Ayub in Dawn, October 19th, 2023KARACHI: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership on Wednesday accused the ‘state’ of making all-out efforts to bring back PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, even at the cost of damaging democratic norms and delaying general elections beyond the constitutionally-mandated deadline. While addressing a rally marking the 16th anniversary of Karsaz bombing on ex-premier Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming convoy that claimed over 200 lives, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari though welcomed the…
by Anwar Iqbal in Dawn, September 2nd, 2023WASHINGTON: A Republican lawmaker has introduced an amendment to the House of Representatives’ annual appropriations legislation that would cut off funds to Pakistan to discourage the “crackdown on political dissent”. Republicans are a majority in the House. The amendment, proposed by Tennessee Republican Andy Ogles, would bar the US Department of Defence from providing assistance to Pakistan in the wake of an ongoing crackdown by the country’s military…
Attempts to discourage open discussions won’t help democracy, in view of experts.Political parties struggle to curb cadres’ social media activityby Nishan Khatiwada in The Kathmandu Post. Aug 8, 2023In a statement following its standing committee meeting on Sunday, the CPN (Unified Socialist) directed its leaders and members not to make any remarks on social media against the party and its leadership. “As people involved in the party and its organisations have been speaking and writing…
report in Prothom Alo, June 20, 2023BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Monday called upon neighbouring country India to make its position clear on the question of democracy in Bangladesh, reports UNB. Speaking at a human chain programme, he also asked Indian authorities to focus on building relations with the 18 crore people of Bangladesh, instead of some individuals and a particular party, indicating the ruling Awami League. “You don’t need to make us…
By Nizamuddin Rezahi IN Khaama Press, June 6, 2023A considerable number of exiled Afghan prosecutors and lawmakers on Monday gathered in Islamabad and urged the international community to help them resettle because they have fought criminals and sacrificed the most to protect democracy and human rights values over the past two decades in Afghanistan. On May 5, these exiled prosecutors, lawmakers and civil society activists peacefully protested in Afghanistan Hotel in the capital city of…
report in Daily FT, Apr 22, 2023The Chief Prelates of all three Buddhist sects have written to President Ranil Wickremesinghe on the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill and have urged him to remove certain concerning provisions from it before passing it in Parliament. The Prelates noted that a strong opposition has arisen in the society against provisions that will violate the right to expression and peaceful dissent which are key components of a country’s democracy. They also…
By Binod Ghimire in The Kathmandu Post, April 05,2023The writer covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post.The first elected government after the restoration of democracy in 1990 started the practice of making public the property details of the prime minister and ministers. The practice started by then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s cabinet continued until 2018. Except Khil Raj Regmi and his team, all prime ministers and ministers until the time of…
by Porimol Palma in The Daily Star, Feb 17, 2023A major focus of US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet’s recent visit to Dhaka was the Rohingya crisis, and the US believes that addressing the problem involves restoration of Myanmar’s democracy. US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar before joining Chollet in Dhaka in meetings with the country’s top leadership and international organisations. Chollet said part of…
By Raashid Wali Janjua in The Express Tribune, Oct 11, 2022The writer is heading IPRIIs our democracy delivering? Are our institutions strong and independent and yet amenable to the civilian democratic control? The above are the live questions begging answers to some of the perennial issues blighting our politico-economic landscape. We need to introspect as to why our democracy has not delivered as per the expectations of our population. Let us have a look at…