ISLAMABAD, June 25: US Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker has said the development objectives of a country could not be realized without the implementation of a functional, transparent, participatory and accountable democracy. He was speaking at a training workshop “Effective Party Management” organized by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and Centre for Civic Education Pakistan.

Mr Crocker said political parties were the building blocks of democratic institutions and their members should reflect over the diversity of cultures from which they arose.

“All democratic parties, whether they are small movements or large national coalitions, need to share the values of compromise and tolerance”, he said.

Members of Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), PML-N and JUI-F participated in the workshop.

The US ambassador said in democracies the struggle between political parties was not a fight for survival, but a competition to serve people. In the US, parties recognized that political views were fluid and changeable and the consensus often arise out of the clash of ideas and peaceful debate. Political parties played an important democratisation function by linking diverse interests into coherent platforms. They also recruit and train leaders for public office, Mr Crocker observed.

Discussing the most important lesson the US politician had learnt from the American system, the ambassador said “whether or not a party holds the presidency, a state governorship, or majority of seats in national or state legislatures, each woes loyalty and respect to the institutions of the country”.