ROLE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN STRENGTHENING (OR WEAKENING) DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Democratic institutions facilitate and promote the operations that make democracy work. An institution is a permanent way to provide the fundamental necessities of living a social life. Institutions play a key role in seeking order and discipline in society; the state structure and government, as a lead agency, are major institutions that make decisions, formulate policies, and promote the objectives and virtues for the citizens. Pakistan has experienced a long path to establish a strong democratic system. Inefficient leadership, low progress of the key institutional setup, and non-civilian factors’ increasing willingness to handle politics became the reason for the failure of parliamentary government four times in the history of Pakistan. However, behind weak party and political systems, there have been non-democratic forces that have always damaged the major political parties and slowed progress to legitimize their regimes by rigged referendums. On one side, the democratic institutions were crushed during the military regimes, and on the other side, low participation of political leaders remained involved in the making of illegal and black wealth, unending corrupt activities, favoritism, and promotion of hereditary politics.  The research will highlight the factors that supported the civilian governments in completing their constitutional tenure. The research discusses the causes of weak democratic structure and all those demonist factors which hardly let democracy prosper. This research describes the role of political parties and democratic institutions in developing democracy. This work also highlights the involvement of the judiciary and the military in political affairs and the role of legislation in political development. This research provides moral support to the thesis. The general framework of thee thesis is presented at end of this chapter.