IPS-IPRI joint roundtable to discuss report on ‘Political System & Governance in Pakistan’

A four-member IPS’ team visited Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on April 14, 2023 to take part in a roundtable discussion, which was held to discuss the draft report on ‘Political System & Governance in Pakistan’ based on the proceedings of a ‘Grand National Dialogue’ held earlier on the theme jointly by the two think tanks.

The IPS’ team comprised Khalid Rahman, chairman, Naufil Shahrukh, general manager operations, Syed Nadeem Farhat Geelani, research fellow, Mohammad Wali Farooqi, research officer.

Chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, chairman, Senate Defence Committee, the session was moderated by Brig (r) Raashid Wali Janjua, director of research and analysis at IPRI, was also addressed by Owais Ahmed Ghani, former Governor of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ambassador (r) Asif Durrani, President IPRI Dr Raza Muhammad, and Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, former IG Police.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman IPS apprised the participants that the prepared report addresses the issue of declining governance in Pakistan, as well as the broader global and local context.

He pointed out that the key question is who makes and implements decisions in Pakistan, and what percentage of the population is involved in the decision-making process. He also rued that the level of polarization in Pakistan was at an all-time high at present. He also stressed on the importance on having a proportional representation in the country, stating that 53 per cent of the 182 democratic countries in the world were following PR systems.

The presentation included a clear picture of the opposition and ruling party votes in the 2002, 2008, 2013, and 2018 general elections.

The session concluded with suggestions and recommendations for the finalization of the report.