Political parties should modify communication to promote democracy, end despair among youth

ISLAMABAD,  (APP): Speakers at a seminar on the World Democracy Day Friday stressed that the political parties should modify their communication on modern lines to promote democracy and end despair among youth related to the prevailing system.

The seminar was organised by Shaheed Bhutto Foundation (SBF) and PPP Human Rights Cell. SBF Chief Executive Officer Asif Ali Khan, in his welcome remarks, said the Foundation had convened all stakeholders of different schools of thought believing in democracy to share thoughts on the occasion. He added that the Foundation was very close to democracy and was founded by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in Dubai to work on democracy. “The SBF first worked on mainstreaming of erstwhile FATA. We celebrated many international days, books launching ceremonies and the SBF is more focussing on Human Rights Day and Women Day,” Khan said while introducing the foundation. This year theme, he said was to involve youth as without their incorporation democracy could not flourish. “However, I disagree with this them because students are not able to digest the ideas that we discuss here. Youth is disillusioned, disgusted and disappointed. The overall youth turnout world over is declining,” Asif Khan aded. He mentioned that democracy was the end destination of the nation as all other experiments had failed. CEO Vision 2047, Zafarullah Khan said the challenges to democracy were creating a gloomy picture in a democratic society of the country. He regretted that democracy was globally getting weaker as there was great deterioration when the world’s oldest democracy US was not healthy. “Populism and pragmatism are viruses and ills that damaging democracy. The Economist ranking also declared India not a complete democracy but rather it placed among the category of a flawed democracy,” he said. Khan said there was need to change our communication channels and accept that our youth had shifted from books to tweets. “Youth cannot be ignored as our electoral demographics had changed. Oldage only comprises of 9% of total registered voters whereas the youth bulge is 46%,” he added. “Every generation had to learn it’s lesson of democracy. Without giving economic, social and democratic rights there will be no democracy. There is no need to disappoint as democracy is not a choice but the only destination,” he said. General Secretary Human Rights Cell, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Malaika Raza Bukhari said the disconnect of youth and the parliament needed to be probed that had been done systematically by demonising politicians. “A social narrative that is anti people and anti democracy has been perpetrated that was strong and what we did in its response is crucial,” she added. The training of youth at present should be considered important as they had huge role in politics, Bukhari said. She noted that democracy was not a concept but a way of life, adding, “We will have to work on society and would have to impart democratic values through practical examples”. Constitutional literacy, she said, was very poor at the societal level even among the elected representatives. “We should start constitutional literacy from some point of time. We need to upgrade our communication style to engage youth,” she suggested. Founding PPP member, Barrister Masood Kausar said politicians in Pakistan did not need any qualification but being a politician he realized that there was need of a training institution to train politicians. “Democracy in modern times is a way of life. However, mutual recognition of rights is important among the masses which basically promotes democracy,” he said. He regretted that no political party gave any training of democracy but rather discouraged it’s workers trying to practice democracy. “We should teach our children to respect each other’s rights that will help promote democracy otherwise it will be a faulty system,” he noted. Naimatullah Babar also commented on democratic development and challenges faced by democracy in the country. Former MNA from Waziristan, Mohsin Dawar also spoke at the seminar.