We, some friends, came together in Karachi to finally launch a new political party, Social Democratic Party, to challenge the oligarchic rule of the political dynasties from the landed gentry and industrialists – allied with military and civil bureaucrats, Sajadahnashins, clergy, cloaked in the garb of political leaders. They have perpetrated this political charade depriving the poor people of the dividends of whatever regimes – imperfect democracies, military-bureaucratic rules and autocracies of demagogues – we have had during the past 7 decades. They are today intractably stuck in the cobweb of the political chicanery they had so strenuously woven to hoodwink the people. Their sense of impunity and their arrogance of riding the people roughshod have completely exposed their crimes against the society and electorate with their indulgence in loot and plunder of the resources of the country and transforming the national institutions into a large cesspool of corruption and incompetence. This is rightly so all over the country but the situation in Sindh is serious. The people are denied basic rights to good education, healthcare, security of life and honour, livelihood, social justice and equality before law. This has reduced the people of Sindh to resignation, suffering and sufferance. We could not abandon people to sulk in their helplessness; in this deepening political stagnation; this frustrating and suffocating political chicanery. We owe an enormous debt to our people. We know, the angels will not descend from the heaven to battle against the outdated tribalism; bridge the ethnic division that is tearing up the very fabric of the society in the province; arrest the growing institutional decay; redeem the crumbling educational structure; ameliorate the health care and challenge the endemic corruption – the factors that have sealed the fate of the people and stunted their advance to progress and prosperity. We have to undertake this and reawaken our people. Verily never will Allah change the condition of the people until they change what is in themselves (Al-Qura’an 13.11). The task, admittedly, is difficult but not impossible. The need is to believe in ones’ dreams as aptly said by Woodrow Wilson -‘no man that does not see visions will ever realize any high hope or undertake any high enterprise’. No doubt politics, particularly in Pakistan, is a tiring and tricky game and requires a strong organization, an unwavering commitment to one’s cause, an unshakeable courage for a fearless and constant struggle and unflinching faith and confidence in the collective strength and wisdom of the people. The explosion of the information technology and the phenomenal impact of the social media have changed the outlook of communities and societies by reducing distances between peoples and constantly disseminating knowledge and information about development and citizens’ rights. This change is apparent everywhere and even in the far under-developed rural regions of Sindh. People want good schools, functional healthcare centres, social justice, and economic equity, security of life and honour and equality before law. They want freedom from the existing deprivation, poverty and powerlessness, insecurity and oppression. It is, indeed, corrupt practices including swindling of funds, bureaucratic lethargy and the callousness of the political leadership that has been the root cause of the decay depriving the people of their constitutional rights The young work hard and graduate and aspire to find an honorable livelihood. How painful it is to find young men with the well bounded files of their degrees and diplomas in their hands crowding at the doorstep of Ministers. The rulers have monopolized powers of recruitment, transfers and postings. They have been using Sindh Public Service Commission as a tool for promoting cronyism, favoritism and corruption reducing the provincial administration to sycophancy, inefficiency and ineptness. It was incredible to see how enthusiastically the young degree holders had responded to our initiative to form a new political party and they have since been flocking to join the cadre of the Social Democratic Party. This betrays the extent of their disillusionment with the existing system and so called political parties. We are restraining the membership of the party to educated young, lawyers, retired teachers, professors, bureaucrats, doctors, agriculturists, and political activists. The SDP as defined by its constitution shall be federal, democratic, progressive, secular and all-inclusive strongly believing in the empowerment of the people; democracy from the grassroots; transparent and good governance focusing on the basic needs of the people as enjoined by the Constitution of the country; appointment of right people to the right job; restoration of rule of law complying with the principles of justice and equity within the party and societal structure; enforcement of impartial and across-the-board accountability within the party, society and governmental institutions; rebuilding of the society free from favoritism, cronyism, suppression and oppression; promotion of modern education and technology to uplift the neglected areas and the people inhabiting the Dickensian squalors. The party has adopted a 5-point program which will be the bedrock of its manifesto. It includes education; healthcare and hygiene and sanitation; social justice and economic equity; security of life and honour and good governance. The party has carried out extensive studies in these subjects and the governmental institutions dealing with them and identified the areas where intervention is needed. Simply explained, there is no deficiency of resources and funds or manpower, expertise and skills to improve the services delivered by these departments. It is, indeed, corrupt practices including swindling of funds, bureaucratic lethargy and the callousness of the political leadership that has been the root cause of the decay depriving the people of their constitutional rights. The party shall be hierarchically organized from the basic tier of union council to tehsil, district, provincial and federal levels. All office bearers from the basic to the apex tier shall be elected for two terms – each of four years. The Party Presidents from the federal down to the union council level shall be first among the equals and shall take decisions in meaningful consultation with their respective executive councils as bounded by the constitution of the party. This is where the SDP stands quite distinct from the current political parties with hereditary leadership. (To be concluded) The writer was a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan and he has authored two books