Session 12- Political parties and their effectiveness in Pakistan

Of the many issues concerning the politics of Pakistan, a major one is the existence of political parties that have proved to be ineffective over the course of several years.


It is worthwhile to consider how political parties, in Pakistan, instead of making goals that aim at achieving the betterment of the public, engage in activities and policy making that brings personal benefits to people holding important positions in the party. Throughout Pakistan's history, it has witnessed political parties functioning majorly as instruments of two families, the Bhuttos and the Sharifs.


The detachment of Pakistan's political parties from the electorate, coupled with little public awareness of party platforms has led to little faith in the political parties' agenda solving the problems of the country. Even when the public displays enthusiasm during the electoral process, such as the 2013 elections when massive crowds stepped out to vote for Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the system is corrupted to an extent where the power of the parties overshadows public opinion and decisions.



It is due to this view of political parties being ineffective and personality driven that many members of the public support the idea of military rule as they view it as an option ensuring government policies that are not beneficial for only a certain set of people.