Sineen Afridi
Pakistan being a developing nation since its inception in the 1947 have underwent substantial hurdles. These hurdles and challanges have manifested in the form of political instability, corruption, weak instituions and a complete lack of accountability. These have in turn negatively impacted the social, political and economical fabric of the country. In order to mitigate these problems certain common issues have to be overcome.
The primary cause of political and social unrest in the present times is corruption. Pakistan has inherited this evil from the British colonial period, presently, As a result of widespread corruption in Pakistan, it ranked 116 out of 176 countries on the Global Corruption Perception Index (2016). Corruption has deeply permeated in the roots of the society which negatively impacts the public and private sectors. This mitrust causes a major decline in the interest of foreign investors as well as the citizens of the country. The basic atrocity being ‘bribery’ as government employees demand bribes for the work that should be provided out of duty, leading to the lack of acountability and mistrust. To tackle this grave issue, government must ensure transparency as well as accountability to ensure and regain trust in the said communities. Anti-corruption agencies similar to the National Accountability Bearue (NAB) and such should actively regulate and monitor indivduals and corporations who are involved in bribery and corruption.
Additionally, the political instability has caused a ruckus in the country and has hindered the development of a strong democratic and effective governance system. This requires free electronic and print media as well as a free judiciary system irrelevant of third-party interferences so that the recurrent storms of civil unrest are put to a stop.
Good governance, concerning the rule of law, requires strong penal systems, courts and parliaments for effective and strict implementation of the legislation. Good governance verdicts may also include raising public knowledge, authentic and legitimate reform in regard to the national and international legitimate structures as well as enhancing the reform of institutions.
Weak institutions in Pakistan have played a significant role in the unvarying development of the country. Weak institutions like the police, beauracracy and judiciary are often understaffed, undertrained and more prone to corruption and bribery. This can be addressed by not only eliminating third-party involvement as well as providing merit-based opportunities, training, allocation of resources and funding to the organizations.
When state administrations are allocated appropriately to individuals, good governance enhances common liberties. It is crucial to enhance the state’s ability to diligently fulfill its obligations in providing public goods to safeguard fundamental freedoms and values such as the right to education, health, and food. Development plans should prioritize accountability, transparency, and mechanisms for public participation in decision-making, and employ sensitive policy tools to ensure that services are responsive and suitable for all.
Moreover, another factor adding to the poor governance in Pakistan is the lack of accountability where aristocrats are exempted from punishment and impunity. This has resulted in the shift of power dynamics where the nobility are treated otherwise of the law. In order to tackle this grave state of affairs, a human rights commission or a body of governance should be formed to overlook equal and fair justice according to the law for all citizens as equals.
Several policymakers consider good governance as an essential seed for sustainable growth. The current ailment of Pakistan is not decent as it unfortunately, confronts serious threats from foreign and internal powers which are directly or indirectly disturbing the process of good governance inside the country The separation of Bangladesh was a massive loss for Pakistan as it brought a lot of political uncertainty. The beginning of the “quota” system in the aftermath of this separation is one of the major reasons for the failure of good governance in Pakistan. It gives rise to influential or forceful political appointments and favouritism at each level. The change of the system from democracy to military rule can create difficult situations that have drastic effects on the development of executive reforms in the state. After the success of the opposition party, executive reforms were unwound. This is a common practice in Pakistan because several governments rejected the policies of previous regimes and tried to set their favourite systems which resulted in delays in the procedures, incited injustice and created the mismanagement of resources (Ahmed, 2012).
Conclusively, the issues faced by Pakistan and it’s governance are multi-faceted, delicate and complex. Pakistan and its government must take robust measures to overcome these issues. Enforcing accountability, transparency, improving infrastructures, providing merit-based opportunities and training to the institutions for better governance and better future of the country.
Citations:
- Imran, M., & Nordin, R. (2018). Good Governance in Pakistan: Challenges and Recommendations. International Journal of Law, Government and Communication, 3(10), 01-11
- R.U. Awan, N. Zahoor, & H. Ali, “Role of good governance in human rights protection in Pakistan”, Bulletin of Education and Research, 40(2), 2018, 71-83
- Siddique, et al., “Good governance and its impact on economic growth in Pakistan: a time series analysis”, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 9(10), 2018, 141-150.
- Ahmed, N. A. (2012), Good Governance in Pakistan: Problems and Possible Solutions, Journal of History and Social Sciences, 3(2).