In Pakistan we have a large number of political parties, each with a unique political ideology. We have parties belonging to the left, those belonging to the right, and parties in the middle. Even though they have varying ideologies, there are certain common features that all the political parties in Pakistan have.
All political parties in Pakistan can be categorised as "catch-all parties". They do indeed give more importance to seats in the parliament and power than to their own ideologies. This is particularly true in the case of MQM. In the past, MQM has formed coalitions with parties all across the political spectrum just because those parties won the most votes and were on their way to establishing a government.
Furthermore, because of the power of the army and because parties believe that the army will crush any revolutionary violent movement they engage in, almost all Pakistani political parties are constitutional rather than revolutionary. One party that has shown some revolutionary acts in the recent past however is PTI with its emphasis on bringing about change and "dharnas" in Islamabad, the capital of the country.
In my opinion however, we need parties which focus less on securing seats and more on increasing awareness amongst the population and encouraging them to fight for their rights. It is only when this happens that the situation of our country will be able to gradually change for the better.
2 comments:
I agree with your point - parties seem to care more about obtaining government power rather than about their ideologies and goals. Most parties in Pakistan show that this is true. I also agree with your conclusion; if we want to improve our country's situation our political parties need to get their priorities straight.
I agree with the point you have made about Pakistan having a range of political parties. I would just like to add to that, that perhaps the problem that Pakistan now has is that there are way too many political parties competing for different interests. Unlike the United States which only has two major parties. This not only has created a very competitive environment during election time but also, people are part of these political parties because their generations have been. There is lack of awareness and blind following.
Post a Comment