ISLAMABAD, April 28: A conference on democracy here on Friday demanded independent election commission, which should not only ensure transparent elections but also check the flow of funds to political parties from various individuals and organisations.

The two-day national conference on “Political Parties and Challenges of Democratic Development” was organized by the Centre for Civic Education Pakistan.

During discussions, politicians, social researchers and academicians presented a gloomy picture of democracy inside the country’s political parties where certain families and personalities dominate all the powers leaving little or no place for the middle or lower class to enter politics.

They asked the government to financially support genuine political parties and stop the secret agencies from releasing huge amounts coming from the tax-payers’ money to favourite groups while creating hurdles in the way of those who challenged the status quo.

The Information Secretary of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal said the time had come that there should be ‘one mother policy’ of all the political parties: To decide in the forthcoming general elections whether this country belonged to the establishment or the people of Pakistan.

He said the establishment was well aware that political parties could only challenge its status quo. That was why, from the beginning they never allowed political parties or politicians to flourish.

In fact, political parties in Pakistan were never allowed by the military and civil establishment to make policies according to the wishes of the people of Pakistan.

“What happened to the Lahore Declaration (signed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the promotion of peace). Every one knows it,” he said.

The Legal Framework Order (LFO) and 17th Amendment allowing a serving military general to also become the country’s president and hijack the people’s constitutional rights had polluted the very spirit of 1973 Constitution.

In response to a question, he said the latest Nawaz-Benazir meeting in London was a part of the ‘strategic cooperation’ between the two parties to get rid of military dictatorship.

“PML-N and PPP are two different parties with different ideologies. It is not an electoral alliance between the two parties but alliance for the restoration of democracy only,” he said.

Senator Prof Mohammad Ibrahim of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) said that Pakistan had been in constitutional crisis since independence as military never allowed the aspirations of the people of Pakistan to be expressed in this sacred social contract.

He also claimed that there was total democracy inside Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

However, Kunwar Khalid Yunus of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) challenged his view point. He added that religio-political parties had always played with the emotions of the people of Pakistan for their vested interests by raising slogans against the West over various petty issues.

He claimed that in next two, three decades no religious party would be left in Pakistan because of the changing global order.

Leaders of various political parties and national and international political scientists and researchers shared their views with the participants on the political parties, policy formulation, funding for political parties and future of parties in Pakistan.

Those who speak on the occasion also included Roger Hdllhag from the Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Sweden, Jami Chandio, of the Civic Education Network, Khurram Dastagir of PML-N, Dr Musarrat Qadeem, political scientist, and Sheila Fruman, Country Director NDI.