LAHORE: The ‘Code of Democratic Politics and Free and Fair Elections’ – a charter signed by leading politicians, parliamentarians lawyers and journalists – urges the political parties to avoid culture of abusive rhetoric, intolerance, enmity, exclusionary approaches and falsification of informed discourse to suit political expediency at the cost of a healthy public debate.

Developed by the Citizens for Democracy, a civil society group, the charter calls upon all the political parties of the country to not only sign the charter but also act on it in run-up to the general elections to keep national discourse and political process leading up to elections neat and clean.

According to a press release, the charter has been endorsed by Aftab Sherpao, Senator Raza Rabbani, Senator Mushahid Hussain, Malik Mohammed Ahmed, Aitzas Ahsan, Mohsin Dawar, Afrasayab Khattak, Hamid Khan, Farhatullah Babar, Farooq Tariq, Taimur Rehman, Ahsan Bhon, Abid Saqi, Azhar Abbas, Imtiaz Alam, Najam Sethi, Zahid Hussain, Sohail Warraich, Hussain Naqi, Rashid Rehman, Mazhar Abbas, Nasir Zaidi, Sheema Kirmani, Khawar Mumtaz, Salima Hashmi, Mohammed Tehseen, Amjad Minhas, Peter Jacob, Dr Akmal Hussain, Dr Waseem and over 100 human rights activists.

The charter shares concerns on autocratic manipulations, ‘political engineering’ and massive rigging of electoral processes and elections in the past and its possible recurrence in the upcoming elections, intervention by any state institution, influencing a fair outcome of elections in favour of or against any political party, use of money, parochial, ethnic, and sectarian ideologies or prejudices, hate speech during the election campaigns, use of unfair means on the election day and all kinds of rigging and manipulation of vote counting.

Political leaders, activists among others endorse the code for fair polls

It urges the parties to avoid not letting women, the minorities and other marginalised groups and deprived regions to freely exercise their right to the franchise, undemocratic practices of not acknowledging and respecting the mandate(s) of the people and subverting or bulldozing a healthy functioning of the parliament while respecting pluralism and adopting inclusiveness, pushing adversaries to the wall implicating them in false cases and denying parliamentarians the right to represent the electorates of their constituencies.

The statement appeals to the parties to observe the following ‘the code of democratic politics,’ asking them to respect fundamental human, civil, social, and economic rights of people and equal rights of women and minorities and to uphold the supremacy of the 1973 Constitution, federalism as enshrined in the 18th Amendment and devolution of power to the grassroots level to empower people.

The code seeks ensuring the rights of all citizens regardless of any distinction while preserving the ‘Doctrine of the Sovereignty of Parliament and Separation of Powers’ among various institutions of the state besides respecting freedom of expression and differences of opinion in a civilised manner without indulging in acrimonious, abusive polemics and vilification.

It calls for ensuring right to free franchise as a most crucial fundamental right of all citizens in a credible, free and fair election, without the exclusion of any legitimate political party, rejecting any interference in politics and electoral processes and their outcomes by any state institution or an agency through money and coercion.

The code asks the parties adopt peaceful, civilised and legitimate means to contest elections while respecting the public mandate and focus on eradicating poverty and inequality while preparing our youth to meet the challenges of a multi-polar world.

It demands the parties to reject political victimization, arbitrary arrests and kidnapping of political activists and promote peace, amity, and cooperation in the country, region, and the world on the principles of peaceful coexistence.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2023