ISLAMABAD: A undemocratic society cannot enjoy a democratic government, said Secretary General Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, I.A Rehman on Friday.

He was speaking at a conference on ‘Democracies in Transition and the Challenges they Face’, which was hosted by the senate and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Speaking about the role of the civil society in democratic transition, Mr Rehman said civil society organisations act as watch dogs and point out issues and problems of governance which can help in the democratisation of a society.

“Civil society organisations have contributed towards democracy in Pakistan, which has also created problems for them,” he said.

Mr Rehman added that though democratic institutions are not functioning as they should, some important steps have been taken towards better democratic values.

“In parliament, we are moving from a majoratarian concept to participatory concepts as the opposition leader is chairing the Public Accounts Committee and opposition parliamentarians are chairing standing committees,” he said.

The civil society has succeeded in helping fulfil some demands including reserved seats for women in the assemblies and the establishment of a permanent election commission. He said civil society organisations will now be playing a role in the democratisation of society.

Speaking about transparency standards in democracy, Senator Farhatullah Babar said democracy cannot survive without transparency.

“A lack of transparency means the absence of accountability. Therefore, civil society organisations should have the right to information, the freedom of speech and the freedom of action. The rule of law, transparency, accountability and public representation are pillars of good governance,” he said.

The senator added that the lack of accountability, considering some institutions sacred and the unequal implementation of law have decreased trust in democratic institutions.

He suggested the Right to Information law should give the right to maximum information. He said the media has imposed self-censorship without debate about its justification.

Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services Executive Director Zafarullah Khan said the Pakistani society has given many sacrifices for democracy.

“Political parties and the civil society have to work together for democracy,” he said,

Pakistan Study Centre University of Karachi Director Prof. Dr. Syed Jafar said there is always room for improvement in democracy and that democracies remain in transition because they contain clauses for amendments.

“The democracy in Pakistan has witnessed many ups and downs due to which the civil society could not evolve. That is why collaboration between political parties and the civil society is important,” he said.

Published in Dawn November 26th, 2016