Islamabad; January 25: Politicians, Members of Parliament, Academicians, Civil Society and Media Persons got together upon PILDAT invitation to discuss and brainstorm on factors that should determine democracy assessment in Pakistan. PILDAT organised a National Consultative Workshop on the Framework for Democracy Assessment in Pakistan.

The participants believed that a careful and objective exercise of democracy assessment was needed so as not to contribute to weakening of democracy in Pakistan. While assessment in itself is a positive introspective exercise that the country, state, government and the citizens can learn and benefit from, an objective account would require a framework suiting Pakistan's peculiar conditions.

Senator Syeda Sughra Imam participated in the workshop and shared the government's perspective. She was nominated especially by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to present the Government's view on the framework for democracy assessment in Pakistan. She shared the good wishes of the Prime Minister of Pakistan for PILDAT's exercise of democracy assessment in Pakistan. She said that many new initiatives to strengthen and deepen democracy were undertaken by the Government including the regular presence of the Prime Minister in the Parliament, giving committee chairpersonship to opposition MPs and the continued freedom enjoyed by civil society, media and other segments of society. These are baby steps but are nonetheless steps towards strengthening of democracy in Pakistan.

Members of Parliament from leading political parties including PPPP, PML-N, PML, ANP, MQM and others participated in the consultation. Prominent among participants were Mr. Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi, MNA, Mr. Baligh-ur-Rehman, MNA, Senator Hasil Bizanjo, Mr. Parvez Khan, MNA, Ms. Fauzia Ijaz, MNA, Senator Fauzia Fakhruzzamn, Ms. Fauzia Ejaz, MNA, Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali, MNA, Mr. Mazhar Abbas, Mr. Asif Ezdi and others. Other participants included representatives from Youth, Media, Non-Muslim communities and civil society organisations.

PILDAT has facilitated the formation of a Democracy Assessment Group with the objective to carry out an objective assessment of the performance of democracy in Pakistan. The Group members represented at the Workshop included Dr. Akbar Zaidi, Development Economist; Mr. Cyril Almeida, Analyst; Mr. Ghazi Salahuddin, Columnist; Dr. Ijaz Shafi Gilani, Chairman Gallup Pakistan; Mr. Illahi Bakhsh Soomro, former Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan; Mr. Javed Jabbar, former Senator and Federal Minister; Dr. Khalida Ghaus, Executive Director SPDC; Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Moinuddin Haider, former Governor; Ms. Nasim Zehra, Analyst and Anchor; Dr. Parvez Hassan, Lawyer; Sardar Khalid Ibrahim, Advocate; Mr. Shahid Hamid, former Governor; Mr. Wazir Jogezai, former Deputy Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan; Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director PILDAT and Ms. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director PILDAT.

As an indigenous organization working to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions, PILDAT has been carrying out a performance assessment of democracy and Parliament in Pakistan on an annual basis using its own format. It has now undertaken the task of annual assessment of democracy using an international criterion for the assessment of democracy for internationally and regionally comparable results but modifying it through public consultations to suit Pakistan. The objectives of assessment are to that since democracy is restored in Pakistan, the society must strive to improve and strengthen it. It is a collective responsibility that democracy must deliver and succeed; poor quality of democracy may disappoint people and may lead to yet another failure and 'derailment' of democracy. The PILDAT initiative is an effort to make democracy deliver and work. The assessment process is a tool to promote democratic reform.

PILDAT sought and received partial support of the Foundation for the Future in carrying out the assessment of democracy.