Pakistan is all set for the upcoming elections on Feb 8th 2024. All political parties are working towards development of their manifestoes and the promises they undertake in front of the people of Pakistan. One key area that needs utmost attention since the creation of Pakistan is good governance.
Good governance is the vital ingredient of a prosperous nation. It nourishes a culture of reform, effective implementation, proactive decision-making, just rewards for virtuous behavior, a consistent rhythm of progress, and unwavering accountability. In countries, where good governance is exercised, its impact on economic and social development is undeniable. It not only cultivates healthy and vocal societies, but also strengthens the foundations of democracy.
Keeping in mind a good governance model, we are presenting a few key demands in the form a Charter for the major political parties of Pakistan, including the stake holders who play an active and important role in the implementation of internal and external policies. We can term this as the Citizens’ Magna Carta. The salient features of the charter of demands are as follows:
Foreign Policy
- • Pursuit of a hedging strategy to avoid entanglement in global binary politics yet maintaining/ protecting vital international partnerships.
- • Economy-centric foreign policy/diplomacy seeking new markets, export promotion, geographic/ digital connectivity striving for stronger regional priorities and attempting best to expand our rich cultural inroads.
- • Design effective parliamentary oversight to monitor foreign policy and its operators through house/senate select committees. Determined and consistent positions required on prime national interests and matters of ideological/territorial sovereignty.
- • Institution of diplomacy be cleansed from imperial legacies, political polarization, cartelization, incompetence, inefficiency, nepotism etc. through a structural/organizational reform, system overhaul and modernization. Revision of hiring standards and introduction of human resource career planning to produce a more capable and more competent generation of future diplomats and staff.
National Security
- • State of Pakistan’s National Security goals be defined along with our National Defense Strategy to achieve them. Nation should be taken into confidence through passing it in an in-camera joint Parliament session. Undertaking may also be shared by state organizations to avoid indulgence in any international/domestic strategic dilemmas.
- • Good military balance be ensured against adversaries in view of a realistic threat analysis. Interoperability with the strategic partners be planned and practiced. Continuous development of military industrial complex and adoption of contemporary marketing approaches to enhance defense exports.
• Territorial security domains such as conventional/kinetic, missile, robotic, cyber, electronic, electromagnetic, artificial intelligence, active psychological warfare be adopted/ improved.- • A well trained, equipped, fed and paid professional armed forces willing to undertake national defense mission for territorial, nuclear, anti-terrorism and internal security directly and economic, energy, water, food, cyber, environment, infrastructure security etc. indirectly.
- • Seamless trans-frontier/cis-frontier intelligence be ensured through our state agencies.
Legal Reforms
- • Code of conduct compliance for BARS to produce quality lawyers, minimize political influence and avoid law malpractices.
- • Lawyers’ educational credentials to be scrutinized.
- • Legal injunction system (Legal stay or restraint order) to be eliminated or made strictly time bound with no extension.
- • Judges and lawyers must be made accountable by applying yearly target based SMART goal approach and performance must be measured on KPI dashboard.
- • Quality control and digitalization to be introduced in legal reforms.
Education
- • Skills, vocational and research innovation-based education to be promoted
- • Sports must be introduced/promoted as extracurricular activities
- • Indigenous Pakistani education system needs to be introduced to promote the uniqueness of Pakistani culture along with decommercialization of educational institutions via regulations.
- • Quality control in education to be established to monitor quality education.
- • Upgrade universities to international standards by introducing R&D culture and annexing them with major defense industrial complex and major local manufacturers.
- • Teacher’s selection and induction criteria must be transparent and must be scrutinized.
Employment
- • Encourage sports activities countrywide including prompting sports goods and manufacturers could invest further to create jobs (Develop sports infrastructure at schools’ level).
- • Focus on skills and vocational based human resources development and sending abroad.
- • Improve minimum wage for a modest earning lifestyle by amending labour laws
- • Develop rewarding culture, announce tax benefits for industries working in Pakistan.
- • Encourage and promote local manufacturing in Pakistan.
Social Development
- • Equal opportunities including healthcare, education, and shelter to all people along with fundamental rights given within limits and boundaries.
- • Revamp the undeveloped areas (Kachhi Abadis) and provide basic needs like cleanliness of streets and roads, repair and upgrade basic structure so that unprivileged areas could be developed and even preserved for heritage.
- • Inclusion and standardization for all projects across the country like Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, etc.
- • Transparency to be ensured via Right person for the Right job and enhance digitalization vision across all government domains.
- • Local government capabilities be developed for performance and revenue generation/tax collection.
- • Skills development for women to ensure their financial independence at Local Body level.
Health Reforms
- • Health screening system to be revamped for data collection, compliance awareness, healthcare audits with monitoring incidences and prevalence.
- • Introduce quality control, digitalization, and R&D culture with effective health policy.
- • Pharma industries need to be regulated for local standard medicines.
- • Build health HUBS countrywide with experts employed at HUBS for data collection and promote Telemedicine via these HUBS.
- • Federal bodies be appointed with powers through legislation to curb the violators of the entire health sector.
- • Helpline number to be made available for the public.
- • Restore Union Council Level Medical Dispensaries with free consultation and medicines to lessen the load on hospitals.
- • Compulsory 2 years rural or 5 years’ urban service for new medical graduates before they quit.
- •Health tourism infrastructure to be promoted.
Governance
- • Follow high character community service type leadership models on how to lead and govern with the aim to serve and deliver for the betterment of people.
- • Reforms and revamping is needed in Civil service, Police and Judiciary.
- • Enforce E-Government/digitalization, accountability, coordination, implementation, regular rhythm, key performance indicators follow up and standardization across executive functions.
- • Devoted, qualified, and expert people be appointed in all domains/functions.
- • Prevent leakages in the system (smuggling, power theft and tax evasion).
- • Build up a district unit model as a Pilot. Set plan and governing TORs, honest experts, and coordinators to be appointed.
Rhythm with coordinators and execution teams and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs. - • Artificial intelligence to be utilized for better governance; Industry 4.0 (next industrial revolution)
