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Introduction

With the objective to inform and engage citizens and policymakers to strengthen the electoral processes in Pakistan to achieve the goal of free, fair and credible elections in Pakistan, PILDAT began focussing on elections and electoral reforms since 2002 with its earliest work as those being three nationwide public opinion studies including Pre-Election Poll, Exit-Poll and Post-Election Poll for the General Election of October 2002.

PILDAT has believed that efforts for ensuring free, fair and credible elections in Pakistan include a variety of steps: that the critical issue is raised as an issue of serious concern to the public and policymakers and to work towards proposing and facilitating the institution of required electoral reforms in Pakistan. PILDAT’s work on Elections and Electoral Reforms over the years stemmed from the perspective that it is the people and the institutions in a country who have the primary responsibility to ensure a just, fair and peaceful political process including the electoral process. International institutions and observers may be helpful in ensuring free, fair and credible elections but it remains the duty of the citizens and institutions to make sure that the writ of the people prevails.

From holding Regional Dialogues and Conferences to discuss best practices on the issue to creating and facilitating an eminent Citizens Group on Electoral Processes to ensure an early and independent monitoring by the citizens of Pakistan to identify, communicate and rectify of issues relating to the electoral processes in Pakistan, PILDAT’s work has made a significant contribution to strengthening and reforming Pakistan’s electoral system and processes through legal and constitutional amendments as well as administrative reforms resulting in improved management of Pakistan’s elections.

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Key Areas

Under our Elections and Electoral Reforms initiative, following are the key areas of PILDAT work:

1. Bringing together international, regional and national experts, policy makers, public representatives and media to develop proposals for electoral reforms
2. Facilitating an eminent Citizens Group on Electoral Processes (CGEP) to objectively monitor the processes – pre-election, election and post-election - to ensure timely identification, communication and rectification of issues relating to the electoral processes leading up to Pakistan’s 9^th & 10^th General Elections
3. Analyses and publishing of issue papers, reports, policy papers and required electoral reforms in Pakistan since 2002 that include about 70 PILDAT publications
4. Working with successive Parliaments and Governments, leading Political Parties, Media and Election Commission to facilitate institution of required electoral reforms through legal, constitutional and administrative domains
5. Review of performance of the Election Commission and its periodic progress on Strategic Plan

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Approaches & Methodology of our Work

PILDAT is a dynamic organisation and continues to evaluate, calibrate and adapt its approaches and methodologies to reach the desired goals in our work. Following are some of the key approaches to our work:

1. Objective, fact-based and non-partisan Research and Analysis focussed on reforms arrived at through working with our eminent groups and learning from regional and international good practices
2. Working with ALL stakeholders including Governments, Parliament & Provincial Legislatures, Political Parties, Judiciary, Media and Citizens
3. Advocacy for reforms

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Key Strengths

PILDAT is widely recognised for the following key strengths:

1. Convening Power: Owing to our track-record as a serious, non-partisan organisation focused on quality of its work, PILDAT has developed a unique convening power that brings together diverse political spheres and voices from across the country on important national and global issues to affect policy reform.
2. Relationships across the Political Spectrum: Because of PILDAT’s work over a decade in a non-partisan capacity, PILDAT enjoys relationship of respect with all key political parties. Not only political parties receive PILDAT’s reform proposals with an open mind, they often seek PILDAT’s support and advice on various policy issues relating to policy as well as internal governance. This also means that regardless of a party in opposition or in power, they are receptive to our analyses and proposals.
3. Relationship with Media: Over the years, PILDAT has worked with the media to develop it as an ally. PILDAT’s work is sought and often quoted in the media. We take media as an important ally to further the work on reforms.

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Our Services

Following key services are offered by PILDAT:

1. Independent and Objective Monitoring of Electoral Processes including Pre-Election, Election Day and Post-Election
2. Producing critical reform proposals based on rich experience, knowledge and understanding of the field
3. Conducting & analysing nation-wide public opinion polls
4. Effective and efficient advocacy on required reforms

Following major projects were conceptualised and delivered successfully by PILDAT in the area from 2002-2017:

• Electoral Reforms in Pakistan
• Comparative Study of Manifestoes of Major Political Parties
• Regional Dialogue on Free, Fair & Credible Elections in Pakistan
• Strengthening Electoral Processes to ensure Greater Participation in Pakistan
• Support to National Elections in Pakistan
• Establishing a group of Civil Society to Review and Monitor Electoral Process
• 2 Day Conference on Pakistan National Election in 2007
• Research and Election Process Observation through CGEP
• Monitoring the Electoral Reforms in Pakistan

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Our Partners

Following are some of the key development partners who have supported PILDAT’s initiatives in the field of Elections & Electoral Reforms:

• Department for International Development - DFID
• Friedrich Ebert Stiftung - FES
• International Republican Institute - IRI
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems - IFES
• The Asia Foundation - TAF
• United Nations Democratic Fund - UNDEF
• British High Commission - BHC
• Canadian High Commission
• European Union
• Danish International Development Agency - DANIDA

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