Modern democracy is
participatory democracy. Modern politics is party politics. The party system, therefore, is an inseparable feature of modern democracy. Political parties play the role of nurseries for democracy and provide a platform to common people to contest elections possessing a particular manifesto. Ironically, the military rulers in Pakistan conducted not only national general elections but also the local bodies elections on non-party basis, which is not merely against the essence of modern democratic norms and values but also the spirit of our constitution, as that system is suited to the socio-cultural environment of Pakistani society.
The Local Government system in Pakistan owes its roots to the British rule. The first intiative was that of Sir Josia Child, Governor of the Company, who laid the foundation of the Madras Municipal Corporation on September 28, 1687. During 1857-1947, the British government introduced various reforms in local government. The basic motive behind all such reforms was to pull the British government out of financial crises, because in 1858, the Indian debt stood at 98 million pounds. However, the concept of party politics emerged with the foundation of the Indian National Congress in 1885, and later with the establishment of the All India Muslim League in 1906. The British government introduced the Bengal Village Chaukidari Act of 1870. Professor Hugh Tinker, in his famous book, The Foundations of Local Self-Government in India, Pakistan and Burma deplored them on the ground that they were not popular institutions to represent the village folk but the servants of the ‘sarkar’ (government).
During the pre-independence era, local participatory democracy was still a far cry. All the affairs were controlled by the central government. The local people were not so familiar with western democracy. In addition to this, the Muslim League was not organised until 1940. This was manifested by the results of the 1937 general elections in which it faced a drastic defeat.
Under the Basic Democracies Ordinance, 1959, the local bodies elections were held on non-party basis. The logic behind that was to debar the political parties and political opponents from the political arena. Several political parties were declared unlawful. Several political leaders (like the Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami and Republicans) were deliberately sent behind bars and also disqualified. However, workers of various political parties came forward and contested elections as they had sound public images.
It was a myth that the local bodies election would be held on a non-party basis. It was manifested from the fact that the Pakistan Muslim League (Chatta Group) was preparing a list of councillors. Its meeting was held under its leader Khawaja Khairuddin on September 2, 1979. On the other side, Khan Abdul Qayum Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Qayum Group) permitted its members to contest local bodies elections independently.
Under the Local Government Ordinance 1979, the local bodies elections were held thrice. The first election to the local councils in the then NWFP was held during September 1979. The second local bodies election was held in September 1983, and then one was held on November 30, 1987. The then martial law administrator, General Ziaul Haq, like his predecessor General Ayub Khan, held the local bodies elections on a non-party basis. The then governor of NWFP, Lt General Fazal Haq, promulgated an ordinance on September 8, 1979. Under the amended Clause-A with Section-28, candidates were debarred to contest the local bodies elections on party basis. Even nobody could, directly or indirectly, dare to declare himself or herself as a representative or a nominee of any party. In actual practice, the local bodies elections were party-based elections. History witnessed that the central government was actively involved in supporting its own candidates.
The local bodies elections held in 1962 were under BDO, and in 1959, in 1979, 1983, and 1987 under LGO, 1979. Under the LGO 2001, the local bodies elections have been held twice, in 2001 and 2005. The local bodies elections held in 2005 clearly demonstrated the tug of war among various political parties to capture an exalted position from the union council level to the district council. They used all means, fair or foul, to achieve their objective.
Various factors have contributed in the success of candidates in the local bodies elections. Some individuals with political affiliations went round to assist their comrades and friends (Courtesy: The West Pakistan Basic Democracies Election Report, 1959-60, Government of West Pakistan, Lahore, 1960. p. 29). For various parties they used particular titles; for instance, the title allotted to Pakistan People’s Party was ‘Awam Dost’
(To be continued)
The writer is a lecturer of Political Science at Islamia College, Peshawar and can be reached at [email protected]