Home Journal List Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society Volume 31 Article Details

Nature and Contours of Party Politics in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is passing through another political transition. After general elections of July 25, 2018, new elected government has taken the saddle. The present party government has come up with a slogan of “Change” to the political system of Pakistan our country yet is in search of political stability and institutionalized political system. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the paradoxes and perils of party politics which has endangered working of parliamentary democracy in contemporary Pakistan. The imbalance between civil and military institutions has affected the political stability and enduring democracy. The current grave situation in our homeland may also be attributed to the failure of political parties to deliver support for parliamentary democracy. There is paucity of academic sources highlighting the menaces which have deteriorated the party system. Unveiling the dangers regarding the present-day party politics in Pakistan signifies the importance of this paper. Interestingly, many of the hazards of the party politics found in the first decade are present even in today‟s polity of Pakistan. Even after passing of 71 years, political parties have failed to play their due role in addressing the menaces in the polity of the country. Unfortunately, political institutions have not been fully institutionalized. That resulted in the weakening of democratic institutions in Pakistan. It is time for the political leadership to take account of their responsibility for strengthening the parliamentary democracy through institutionalized party politics. The stability of the polity is directly related to the strengthening of the party system

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