session 12- Political Parties

   A group of people who come together to achieve government power through electoral or other means, are described as a political party.  These parties aim to exercise governmental power by winning political office and are organized, formal bodies that are united by shared political preferences and ideologies. Where there are countries like China which only have one political party- the Communist Party of China, and the United States of America which has only two dominant parties -the Republicans and the Democrats, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has over 150 political parties.  Because of the numerous parties in Pakistan, one does not find it very difficult to find a political party that supports his/her beliefs and ideologies. But do these parties really stand by their ideals and teachings or just use them to gain people’s support and abandon them once they are in office?

   The Pakistan People’s Party, for example, was founded in 1967 by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto as a centre-left, progressive and social democratic party. Bhutto used his charisma and his exceptional public speaking skills to appeal to the masses and unite them under the nation-wide call of “roti, kapra aur makaan.” The party’s manifesto caused the working class to rush to its support and also attracted numerous minorities to quickly join the party as it would enable them to protect their rights and interests. However, the manifesto and ideology of PPP has been criticized by people on various occasions. Bhutto’s policies pertaining to religious issues like the banning of alcohol and the declaration of the Ahmadis as non-Muslims was viewed by many as anti-secularist and as an attempt to gain the support of religious factions. After Bhutto’s assassination, many of the PPP members also left for other parties because they felt that the party had moved away from the original ideas on which it was founded by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

   The PPP is one of the few examples of political parties straying from their vision and ideologies for either personal or material reasons. While there are parties that stand by their vision and do not drift away, there are others like PTI, who do not have a clear goal or aim and are catch-all parties who change their direction depending on the circumstances. Therefore even if it is beneficial for some parties to have a clear aim and vision while addressing potential voters, others seem to flourish as well without any basic ideology.