PILDAT IN THE MEDIA
Budget and parliament – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
ALTHOUGH an intense public debate had been going on about the contents and quality of the recently passed federal budget, there has n...
Saga of reserved seats – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
ON May 6, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court suspended the order of the Peshawar High Court which had denied 77 reserved seats...
Senate election controversy – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
Hardly any election in Pakistan has been free of controversy. This includes Senate elections. The recent presidential election was a ...
Pak-US ties and the letter that finally arrived – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Less than a month after Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan, he received a letter from US President Jo...
Senate: why the secrecy? – An Article by PILDAT President published in The News International
Constitution-making in Pakistan took around nine years before the Constituent Assembly passed the first constitution on February 29, ...
Caretaker system’s future – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
The national sentiment seems to be strongly opposed to the continuation of the current constitutional arrangement of appointing caret...
A matter of form – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
At the centre of the raging controversy over the Feb 8 election results are two forms prescribed in Election Rules, 2017: Form-45 is ...
Will instability be Pakistan’s political hallmark? – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Following Pakistan’s general election on February 8, the federal and four provincial governments are expected to be formed in Pakista...
Candidates for Election 2024 – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
Now that the final list of contesting candidates has been released by the Election Commission of Pakistan, it has emerged that an unp...
Dismissing the Constitution – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn News
THIS is an extraordinary phase of Pakistan’s political life. None of the five directly elected legislatures are in place and both the...
Electricity bills: Pakistan’s crisis in a crisis – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
TThe electricity bills’ crisis in Pakistan could not have come at a worse time. The elected National Assembly was dissolved about thr...
From Promises to Progress Rethinking Political Party Manifestos – An Article by PILDAT President published in UNDP
The current National Assembly is set to complete its five-year term on the 12th of August, with the General Election to the National ...
Dubious distinctions for Pakistan’s outgoing national assembly – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Democratic order in Pakistan just crossed another milestone on August 10, when the country’s 15th National Assembly was dissolved by ...
Debating caretaker set-ups – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn
THE framers of the original 1973 Constitution had apparently visualised Pakistan as a normal democratic state, and therefore, did not...
Any election delays in Pakistan now will be outright dangerous – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
The five-year term of the national and two provincial assemblies in Pakistan is coming to an end in the second week of August after w...
Discussing poll reforms just 38 days before end of NA term – An Article by PILDAT President published in The News
IT was somewhat surprising to see a Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (PCER) becoming active just 38 days before the Natio...
Elections and public scepticism – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
LESS than a month remains for the five-year term of the present National Assembly and two provincial assemblies to end, after which e...
Budget and parliament – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IN Pakistan, this time of the year is a regular reminder of how farcical the role of parliament has become when it comes to ensuring ...
Missing legislative transparency – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
A COUPLE of years ago, an innovative parliamentary reporter stood outside the Punjab Assembly and asked — on camera — the members eme...
Another court – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
ARE constitutional courts an idea whose time has come in Pakistan? The proposal to constitute one was seriously presented in the Char...
Pakistan’s security gaps came to the surface on May 9 – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
The serious implications of the unprecedented incidents of violence and arson which happened in various cities and cantonments of Pak...
Is delaying elections an option? – An Article by PILDAT President published on Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)...
The year 2023 is supposed to be the year of National and Provincial Elections in Pakistan. The National Assembly and the four Provinc...
کیا توہینِ پارلیمان کا مجوزہ قانون ایوان کو تحفظ فراہم کرپائے گا؟ – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
15 مئی کو قومی اسمبلی نے توہینِ مجلس شوریٰ (پارلیمنٹ) بل 2023ء منظور کرلیا۔ تاہم قانون بننے سے قبل یہ بل ابھی سینیٹ اور صدر مملکت کی ...
Contempt of parliament – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IN an unprecedented move, the National Assembly passed the Contempt of Majlis-i-Shoora (Parliament) Bill, 2023, on May 15. The bill w...
Another controversial census? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE ongoing seventh population census in Pakistan is extraordinary in many respects. It is the first census which is taking place aft...
SCO conference in India: Should Bilawal Goa? – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
The debate in Pakistan was raging even before Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will himself lead the d...
A work in progress – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
DURING the past 50 years, the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan has been amended 23 times — an amendment every two years on average. This...
COMMENT: Where do we go from here? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
The Supreme Court has finally spoken on and quashed the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision of March 22 to delay the Punjab ...
Pakistan’s inter-institutional strains are tearing it apart – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Pakistan is in the middle of an unprecedented crisis over relations between the judiciary and the executive. Strains and turf-wars b...
Is there a way out? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
PAKISTAN’S political crisis is deepening with every passing day. The fact that the Punjab Assembly election that was scheduled for Ap...
Upcoming Elections and Political Turmoil in Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in Asian Democracy Research Netwo...
As the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed a key provincial election due to financial and security-related issues, a potent...
How the population census could impact Pakistan’s coming elections – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
This is election year in Pakistan. The dates for the election of provincial assemblies in the two provinces – Punjab and Khyber Pakht...
Kept in the dark – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IF one goes by the poll dates fixed by the president of Pakistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor for election to the provincial a...
کیا موجودہ بحران سے نکلنے کی کوئی راہ ہے؟ – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
پاکستان نے ماضی میں بہت سی مشکلات کا سامنا کیا ہے جن میں 1968ء کی معاشی بدحالی، سیاسی نظام کی حقیقی یا انجینیئرڈ خرابی جس کا انجام بل...
Elections in Pakistan will not necessarily herald stability – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Pakistan’s constitution requires that the election of a national or provincial assembly must be held within 90 days if it is prematur...
Is there a way out? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
PAKISTAN has encountered many difficulties in the past, including a near meltdown of its economy in 1968; a real or engineered breakd...
Alvi move plunges country into crisis – An Article by PILDAT President published in The News
The country has plunged deeper into a constitutional-cum-political crisis after President Arif Alvi unilaterally announced the date f...
The rocky road between Pakistan’s judiciary and parliament needs fixing – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Most democratic countries, whether based on parliamentary or presidential systems, stand on three distinct pillars of the state with ...
Elusive common ground – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
Pakistan has seen several extreme levels of confrontation between political actors in its 75 years of existence. A mammoth people’s m...
Staggered elections – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
Pakistan has never experienced a staggered general election with polls to one or more provincial assemblies taking place months apart...
Poll credibility – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE first major test of the current Election Commission, in fact the entire nation, is less than 90 days away. With the dissolution o...
Navigating Political Anxiety through Gendered Interventions – An Article by PILDAT President
Political uncertainty, in many ways, is a self-prescribed way of life for almost all democratic societies. Every few years, democrati...
Parliament’s tumultuous year – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
EVEN by Pakistani standards, where there is never a dull moment in politics and parliament, 2022 was an extraordinarily tumultuous ye...
EVMs: An Expensive Proposition Without Any Substantive Benefits – An Article by PILDAT President published in PIDE
In order to answer the above question of whether electronic voting machines (EVMs) should be incorporated into the electoral process ...
آئین کی کن دفعات اور کن حالات میں ’ایمرجنسی‘ کا نفاذ ممکن ہے؟ – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
ہر گزرتے دن کے ساتھ پاکستان تحریک انصاف (پی ٹی آئی) کی 2 صوبائی حکومتوں اور وفاقی حکومت کے درمیان دشمنی کی کیفیت بڑھتی ہی جا رہی ہے۔
...
Emergency provisions – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WITH each passing day, the state of animosity between the PTI, along with the two provincial governments it controls, and the federal...
Can the youth vote impact Pakistan’s next election? – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Pakistan is one of the youngest countries of the world with a median age of around 22 years. It is the 36th youngest country among t...
Timing of the next election – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
FORMER prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan is relentlessly continuing his campaign, in one way or the other, to push Prime Min...
ہم جمہوریت کے لیے کتنی بڑی ’قیمت‘ ادا کررہے ہیں؟ – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
پارلیمنٹ کے کیلنڈر کے برعکس، پنجاب کی صوبائی اسمبلی گزشتہ 7 ماہ سے سیشن میں ہی ہے۔ اگرچہ اسے 40ویں، 41ویں اور 42ویں سیشنز میں تقسیم ک...
How expensive is democracy? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
CONTRARY to the parliamentary calendar of the legislature, the Punjab provincial assembly has been continuously in session for the la...
Toshakhana controversy – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
‘TOSHAKHANA’ — the local definition of the state treasury where gifts received by state officials are deposited — was not a very fami...
Will early elections resolve the stalemate in Pakistan? – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
The pivot around which Imran Khan’s entire protest movement revolves is the demand for an early general election in Pakistan. General...
Voter turnout fault lines – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
VOTER turnout is as vital a sign of political health of a democracy as is blood pressure in a human body. Pakistan has consistently e...
Here comes another expensive long march to Islamabad – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
‘Long March’ has by now become an established tradition of Pakistani politics. Various political parties give different brand names t...
Why this conflict? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
SOMETIMES we feel overwhelmed by the multifaceted conflicts in our society and wonder whether it is unique to us or if the situation ...
Multiple candidacies – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE by-elections held on Oct 16 were extraordinary for a number of reasons. First, the constituencies were arbitrarily picked for re-...
Deciding election dates – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
A FACTOR critical in deciding the outcome of an election is the time when it is held. The power to fix the election schedule is, ther...
The farce of intra-party elections in Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
South Asia’s oldest political party – Indian National Congress (INC) – is about to hold the historic election of its new President. I...
سول ملٹری تعلقات میں بہتری کے لیے یہ ٹھیک وقت کیوں ہے؟ – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
سابق وزیرِاعظم عمران خان کے پاس تو شاید ’اسٹیبلشمنٹ‘ پر تنقید کرنے کی اپنی ہی کوئی وجہ ہو لیکن یہ حقیقت ہے کہ سول ملٹری تعلقات ایک طو...
Time for a new beginning – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
FORMER prime minister Imran Khan may have his own reasons to lash out at the ‘establishment’, but the fact is that the subject of civ...
There is no moral case for Pakistan’s large cabinet – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
With the latest addition of two Special Assistants, the extended cabinet of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif including Ministers, Minist...
Do parties understand youth bulge? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
PAKISTAN is the 46th youngest country with a median age of 20.4 years among 237 countries and territories in the world, according to ...
How are political parties funded in Pakistan? – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
The funding of political parties in Pakistan has been in the news since the ‘prohibited funding case’ against Imran Khan’s Pakistan T...
Unceasing political vendetta – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WE have a history of political feuds and vendetta that run through generations. It may be difficult to pinpoint the origins of the po...
ECP: after the verdict – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE Election Commission of Pakistan recently passed an important order in the eight-year-old prohibited funding case instituted again...
Short-changing Provincial Autonomy – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
MORE than anything else, it was our inability to manage the provincial aspirations for autonomy which resulted in the break-up of the...
The Facade Of True Representation – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IT makes every Pakistani immensely proud that the country came into being through a democratic process, but it remains to be seen whe...
What follows ECP verdict – An Article by PILDAT President published in The News
Finally, after an eight-year-long wait, the ECP has spoken on the Prohibited Funding Case instituted against the PTI on a complaint b...
What does the change in Punjab really entail? – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Punjab is not just the largest province of Pakistan. Its population is greater than the population of the other three provinces put t...
Institutions crumbling? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
As Pakistan gets ready to celebrate its 75th birthday, a range of institutions seem to have developed cracks manifesting decay that n...
After the by-elections – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Pakistan has seldom experienced such passionately contested by-elections as were seen last Sunday in 20 Provincial Assembly constitue...
By-elections and more – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IT may seem that it is just 20, or some five per cent, of the total 371 seats of the Punjab Assembly which are at stake in this Sunda...
Rethinking the presidency – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
SOME of the recent actions by the president of Pakistan have revived the debate about the role of the president in a parliamentary sy...
Election: early warnings – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
GENERAL elections may be 16 months away if the existing legislatures complete their full five-year term but election season seems to ...
Pakistan splitting governance on party lines – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
In a democracy anywhere in the world, dates set aside for debate and approval of the annual Budget are considered sacrosanct and both...
Austerity & legislators’ perks – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
AS the date for the annual budget presentation in parliament approached against the backdrop of the deepening economic crisis, the sa...
Another law for the Overseas Pakistanis’ vote – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Last week, the parliament of Pakistan once again legislated about Overseas Pakistanis (OP) ‘right to vote’ in Pakistani elections and...
Accountability fails again – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WITH the passage of drastic amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, by the two Houses of parliament last week, the...
Rewriting defection – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WITH the Supreme Court order of May 17 — issued in response to a presidential reference seeking clarifications on Article 63-A or the...
Is Pakistan’s water crisis simply a crisis of governance? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
At the time of its creation in 1947, Pakistan was fortunate to have abundant water resources with the mighty river Indus and five oth...
A terrible idea for Pakistan’s former ruling party to resign from parliament – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB N...
As soon as it became apparent that the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan could not be stalled any longer, he ann...
Defection and democracy – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE National Assembly of Pakistan made history by successfully passing the first vote of no-confidence against a sitting prime minist...
A bumpy road ahead for new Pakistani leadership – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
The unprecedented has happened. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a sitting Prime Minister has been sent home 15 months ...
Role of the Speaker – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IT proved to be a fateful Sunday. The deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, who was presiding over a sitting called specifically t...
The morning after: What if no-confidence motion against Pakistani PM goes through? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ...
What will happen if the no-confidence resolution against the Prime Minister is successful in the National Assembly? This question has...
Courting the courts – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
MODERN democratic states generally operate through three distinct branches ie the legislature, the judiciary and the executive, with ...
Demystifying the motion- An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WITH the submission of the notice for a no-confidence resolution by the opposition parties, the first step of the constitutional and ...
Is Pakistan’s neutrality on Ukraine against national interests? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
One may accept it as an unfortunate coincidence that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent official visit to Russia happened on the day ...
Government in waiting? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
POLITICS is once again on the upsurge in Pakistan. Both the ruling PTI and the opposition seem to have kicked off premature election ...
Diluting electoral credibility – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IT is distressing to see the federal government legislating by presidential decree to the total exclusion of any consultative process...
Guest Editorial: Chasing good governance – An Article by PILDAT President published in THE NEWS
The outburst of criticism both from the Opposition and some cabinet ministers on the recently-announced results of a performance revi...
Elections and the courts – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IT was very heartening to see the Supreme Court putting its foot down and refusing to interfere in the schedule of the second phase o...
Measuring governance in Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
Making bureaucracies work has always been a challenge the world over. Even developed countries face this uphill task and continue to ...
Taking legislation lightly – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE events in the Senate last week once again demonstrated that, with some notable exceptions, our honourable legislators, whether fr...
Pakistan slipping lower in corruption index is a bombshell revelation – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
It was like a bombshell had hit the government, and its carefully cultivated image of a party fighting against corruption. In the pas...
اپوزیشن لیڈر سے مشاورت وزیرِاعظم کی مرضی نہیں ذمہ داری ہے – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
وزیرِاعظم عمران خان نے ایک بار پھر اپنے دوٹوک انداز میں اعلان کیا ہے کہ وہ قائد حزبِ اختلاف شہباز شریف کے ساتھ کسی قسم کی بات چیت نہی...
Prime minister’s responsibility – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
ONCE again, in his characteristically blunt style, Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that he would not engage in talks with Lea...
Scrutiny and beyond – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE much-discussed seven-year-old foreign funding case reached a major milestone about a month ago when the scrutiny committee consti...
Overseas Pakistanis can vote, but how? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
In a fitting close to the year, finally the President of Pakistan signed this month the historic Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2021, e...
Local government’s return – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE new cycle of local government elections in Pakistan started with a bang. Though delayed by more than a year, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa w...
The Sindh-centre strain – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
RELATIONS between Islamabad and Karachi are on the boil. To an extent, it is understandable as the two governments are run by rival p...
EVM law: what next? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
FINALLY, the law has been passed by parliament. The government hopes that things will now move swiftly and that the law will ensure t...
Media Coverage of YPP Symposium “Why Young People Don’t Vote”
Jang
Dawn
Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)
Day Spring
Pakistan Observer
92 Newspaper
Urdu Point
A parliament in a hurry – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THERE may be many things wrong about the joint sitting of parliament that took place on Nov 17. For example, no meaningful effort was...
The defining moment for Pakistan’s election commission is here- An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) released two extraordinary and somewhat explosive enquiry reports last week. The reports we...
Accountability compromised – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE subject of accountability has always been emotive, deeply divisive and highly controversial in Pakistan. To an extent, this is na...
Absentee young voters in Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
It is common knowledge that overall voter turnout in Pakistan is traditionally quite low. At an average of 47 percent in the past 1o ...
No-trust resolution dynamics – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
A NO-CONFIDENCE resolution is not necessarily a negative move. In fact, the only feature that distinguishes a democratic system from ...
Challenges to legislation – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
LEGISLATION is the primary function of the national parliament and provincial assemblies and that is exactly why these are called the...
Confrontations between Pakistan government and election commission may lead to systemic change – An Article by PILDAT President p...
The ongoing confrontation between the government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is unprecedented. Opposition political...
Other electoral reforms – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
DEBATES, commentaries and analyses about Electronic Voting Machines have been dominating the print and electronic media over the past...
Imagining the next election – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE fourth year of the government has barely begun but the prospects of the next election, which is not scheduled before the autumn o...
Pakistan’s parliament in three years of PTI rule – An Article by PILDAT President published in Arab News
Both the fifteenth National Assembly of Pakistan and the PTI-led federal government completed their three years just five days apart;...
AGP’s appointment – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE auditor general of Pakistan (AGP) has just retired and, at the time of writing, the government must be going through the process ...
Defending intra-party differences- An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE so-called ‘two narratives’, or opposing point of views, within the PML-N have drawn the attention of the media and political oppo...
India’s UNSC presidency and why it won’t hurt Pakistan- An Article by PILDAT President published in ARAB NEWS
Ordinarily, the election of a country as President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) should be a routine affair and not m...
International Obligations – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IN this age of globalisation, nations are voluntarily giving up a part of their legislative sovereignty to supranational entities lik...
Politics of overseas Pakistanis’ vote – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Since 1993, the question of enabling overseas Pakistanis to vote in Pakistani elections from their respective countries of residence ...
Thoughts on the opposition – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THERE has been frequent and sometimes harsh criticism of the PTI-led federal government for its performance and quality of governance...
Controversial poll reforms – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
ARGUABLY the most controversial package of electoral reform proposals in the history of Pakistan is halfway through the parliamentary...
How to mismanage an alliance – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the most recent of the alliances of opposition political parties, is facing an existential th...
Article of Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob on Electoral Reforms published in JANG
Article of Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob on Electoral Reforms published in Jang on March 31, 2021 in a report of Editor Jang, Mr. M. Akram ...
Meeting in quarantine: The wrong message – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
It was unexpected and shocking when Prime Minister Imran Khan, four days into quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus infec...
By-Election fiasco – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
BY-ELECTIONS do spring surprises occasionally but despite the uncertainty about individual contests, these are considered sedate affa...
Open or secret? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE Senate of Pakistan has existed since the 1973 Constitution was passed by the fifth legislature of the country. During this time, ...
Media Coverage – Working Session of the Policy Wing of JIP
Jang
Express Tribune
Daily Times
Ausaf
Daily Express
Daily Pakistan
Daily Patriot
Dunya Newspaper
Day S...
Media Coverage – Working Session of the Policy Wing of PTI
Dawn
Jang
Pakistan Today
The Day Spring
Associated Press of Pakistan (APP)
Newsnod
Daily Patriot
Daily Pak...
Challenges of Governance in the New Decade – An Article by PILDAT President published in Global Village Space
Governance and its improvement are of critical importance to Pakistan. Pakistan ranks among bottom one-fifth of over 200 countries an...
Foreign funding consequences – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
FOUR major political parties of Pakistan, including the ruling party, are facing charges of receiving prohibited funds from foreign s...
Media Coverage – Policy Wing Meeting of PML-N
Daily Pakistan
Jang News
DAWN
The News International
Dunya Newspaper
Newsnod
Daily Express
Da...
PDM U-turns and possible opportunities – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
The 10-party opposition alliance known as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was considering, not so long ago, that it would resi...
Debate on ordinances – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE good news is that the debate on the use of ordinances as the preferred mode of legislation in Pakistan has recently gained moment...
Media Coverage – Policy Wing Meeting of Awami National Party (ANP)
Daily Pakistan
Jang News
DAWN
The News International
Day Spring
Dunya Newspaper
Frontier News
Dai...
Media Coverage – Virtual Forum on How has 2020 impacted Democratic Governance and Quality of Democracy in Pakistan
Jang News
Pak Observer
The Nation
Day Spring
Dunya Newspaper
Daily Pakistan
Nawa e Wakt
The News International ...
Preparing to govern in Pakistan: the case for shadow cabinets – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently invited a great deal of criticism by admitting that he and his party, PTI, were not ready to gover...
Evaluation performance- An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
TWO extraordinary things happened on Dec 22 — in the context of chasing elusive good governance in Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Kha...
A risky plan – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IF the Senate election takes place in March 2021 as scheduled, the PTI is likely to emerge as the largest party in the house, displac...
Pakistan’s obsession with elusive accountability – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Accountability has been political Pakistan’s obsession from day one – literally.
Soon after coming into existence, Pakistan’s first ...
Bitter political play in Pakistan has dampened COVID-19 containment – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
During the last nine months, the details and extent of playing politics right in the middle of the pandemic are different in differen...
Dialogue? What Dialogue? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
As the confrontation between the ruling coalition and the combined opposition seems to be intensifying and crossing all limits, saner...
Production orders – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE subject of production orders for detained legislators is once again in the headlines. Prime Minister Imran Khan, while recently a...
What next for Imran Khan’s ‘State of Medina?’ – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Catchy slogans sell way more than a well-thought out and immaculately structured manifesto in an election in Pakistan. People don’t h...
Media Coverage of “Sindh Youth and Young MPAs Dialogue” held on Sep 23, 2020
Dawn: https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=24_09_2020_114_003
Associated Press of Pakistan (APP): https://www.ap...
Media Coverage of “Strategic Planning and Capacity Building Session with Young MPAs of Sindh” held on Sep 22, 2020
Dawn: https://www.dawn.com/news/1581065/capacity-building-session-held-with-young-mpas
Jang: https://e.jang.com.pk/09-23-202...
Advisers, SAPMs and cabinet – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE recent nine-page judgement of the Islamabad High Court regarding the alleged illegal exercise of executive powers by an adviser t...
Evaluating the performance of Balochistan assembly – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
I have been observing the national and provincial legislatures in Pakistan and abroad for nearly two decades. While the national parl...
Parliamentary performance – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE 15th National Assembly completed two years on Aug 17. Its performance during this period has been the subject of discussion in th...
Politics of dual nationality – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Two parallel thought streams have been flowing in Pakistan regarding the public place of overseas Pakistanis and, more specifically, ...
The reason why debate on 18th Amendment refuses to die – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
The 18th Amendment became part of Pakistan’s constitution about ten years ago when President Asif Ali Zardari signed it on 19th April...
Performance debate – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
SUDDENLY, the debate on government performance seems to be all over the place. On second thoughts, it may not be so sudden. The incum...
The hollowness of Pakistan’s budget exercise – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
June is budget time in Pakistan. The financial year closes on June 30 and a fresh authorization is needed from the national and provi...
Parliamentary scrutiny? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
VERY few people realise that the budget for the next financial year (2020-21) will, for the first time since the adoption of the 1973...
Democracy and disaster management – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
When US President Donald Trump recently called Prime Minister Imran Khan and offered to send some ventilators to Pakistan to help it ...
Parliament in times of COVID-19 – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Should parliament continue working despite the coronavirus pandemic? At least some civil society organizations in Pakistan earlier th...
State of the opposition in Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
It is one of those times in our political history when the opposition is at least numerically very strong in the parliament and provi...
The new ECP’s challenges – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE five-member Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is finally complete after a painful and protracted process of consultation betw...
Fatal fault lines – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has not even completed the first eighteen months of its term, yet the discourse of “in-...
Without due process – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WEAKNESSES generally associated with the legislative process in our country were once again exposed during the passage of amendments ...
Are Pakistan’s government and opposition ready to reconcile? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Even if one believes that the two main opposition political parties were coerced into supporting recent amendments in military acts w...
What should you expect from your parliamentarian? Geo News article on PILDAT’s report How to be an Effective Legislator?
Whether elected directly or nominated indirectly to the parliament, a member of the national assembly (MNA) has the following respons...
Anti-government agitation – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
MAULANA Fazlur Rehman’s recent Azadi March on Islamabad was not a new phenomenon, as anti-government agitations have been a part of P...
Was Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi March’ a complete failure? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi March’ which landed in Islamabad on Oct. 31, was the most recent of many other so-called ‘long marches’ on the...
Ordinances over the years – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
PAKISTAN is one of the few democratic countries which have the dubious distinction of having the power to legislate by executive decr...
Foreign funding in politics: Laws vs. implementation – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
The three largest political parties in Pakistan - PTI, PMLN and PPP- which command 86 percent of total membership in the National Ass...
What do marches on Islamabad mean? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Fazl ur Rehman’s protest march is not the first of its kind but it sure is the latest in a series of marches and agitations seeking t...
Credibility of accountability – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
AMID the current political turmoil, accountability and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) figure most prominently. On the one s...
Top-heavy: Is the federal cabinet too big to work? – An Article by PILDAT Joint Director published in GEO News
One criticism often directed at the government is that the cabinet has grown so large under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that i...
Prepared for governance? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
PRIME MINISTER Imran Khan has been widely praised for delivering a powerful and impressive speech at the UN General Assembly on Sept ...
Chief Justice Khosa’s critique of the government is telling – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
It is ironic that barely six days after Pakistan’s top judge said in a speech that he found concerns being raised about the “muzzling...
A flurry of ordinances: Why is the PTI pushing them through the parliament? – An Article by PILDAT Joint Director published in GE...
Article 89 of the constitution defines in detail the process of legislation through ordinances. It stipulates that only in exceptiona...
One year on, PTI’s legislative agenda must gather speed – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
When Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan launched his party’s 100-day agenda roughly two months before the general ele...
Media Coverage of Course on “Pakistan’s Foreign Policy in a Changing World” held on Sep 3-4, 2019
Geo News: https://www.geo.tv/shows/geo-headlines/246524-geo-headlines-11-am-3rd-september-2019
Express News: https://www.you...
Missing ECP members – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
LAST Sunday, Aug 25, marked the completion of eight months during which two of the four positions of the members of the Election Comm...
The case of dual nationals – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
Is Pakistan ready to allow persons holding dual nationality to become members of its parliament? The question arose after Prime Minis...
Should dual citizenship holders contest elections in Pakistan? – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Perhaps it was the impressively large gathering of Pakistani-Americans at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC during Prime Ministe...
Media Coverage of Provincial Assemblies’ First Year Performance Report – 2019
Source
Title
Dawn
Sindh Assembly outranks other assemblies in holding sessions
The Nation
...
The Assembly’s first year – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
‘NAYA’ (or ‘new’) Pakistan’ has been one of the most popular slogans of the PTI as has ‘tabdeeli’ (or ‘change’). It is therefore only...
After the no-trust vote – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
WHILE the aftershocks of the Senate’s no-trust vote of Aug 1 are still being felt, it seems that some good may also have come of the ...
Policy reversals during PTI’s first year – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
August 17 will mark the completion of the first year of the PTI federal government in Pakistan, with the performance of the governmen...
Leaked videos implicating judges are nothing new, or simple, in Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
The release of an explosive video which shows possible evidence of a wrongful conviction of jailed ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by ...
Defection season? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IS the season of defections here again? Media reports regarding 15 PML-N members of the Punjab Assembly calling on Prime Minister Imr...
PILDAT conducted 300 training programs for parliamentarians – Interview of PILDAT President published on Radio Pakistan Website
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development & Transparency (PILDAT) has conducted about three hundred training programs for par...
Unintended consequences of more parliamentary seats for tribal areas – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), located along the northwestern region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, were always ...
The politics and optics of Pakistan’s cabinet reshuffle – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Just eight months into his five year term, Prime Minister Imran Khan considered it fit to undertake the first major reshuffle in his ...
Indian election manifestos: What Pakistanis should know – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Starting this week, India will hold its general elections in seven phases until May 19th. It is safe to assume that the winner will b...
Two faces of democracy – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IT seems that a section of population in Pakistan is perpetually infatuated by the presidential form of government. Although a unanim...
Lawmakers’ pay – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
A STORM of protest led by no less a person than the prime minister had engulfed the country after Punjab’s provincial assembly passed...
Christchurch terror – An Article by PILDAT Joint Director published in DAWN
THE day that two mosques in Christchurch were attacked, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that “these are people who I ...
Pakistan in the grey – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Pakistan’s National Action Plan, the government’s detailed plan established in 2015 to counter terrorist activities is in the news wi...
Why not consult each other? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
TWO of the four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan retired on Jan 26, 2019, after completing their stipulated term of two...
Return of the Politics of Enmity – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
When Pakistan’s two major political parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)- signed the Chart...
The first six months – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE PTI-led federal government is set to complete its first six months today but the National Assembly which elected this government ...
Inter-institutional dialogue, but how? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE realisation has been growing over the past few years that Pakistan needs some kind of dialogue among state institutions at the hi...
Coverage of PILDAT-UNDP Youth Dialogue held at Islamabad on Jan 31, 2019
Source
Title
Dawn
No protest after SC’s final decision in Aasia’s case termed a milestone
Natio...
Justice Khosa’s proposal could open up a Pandora’s box for Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
Just a day before assuming office as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa surprised many by proposing an inter...
Taking parliament seriously – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
A FEW days ago, some of the leading television channels were almost simultaneously flashing the ‘breaking news’ that Prime Minister I...
Beyond the PAC stalemate – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
FINALLY, it seems that the 15th National Assembly is ready to move forward. PTI has finally agreed to the election of Leader of the O...
Decisions taken today could shape the politics of the future for Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
With 2018 coming to a close, there is increasing concern about the political scenarios that will unfold next year. There are several ...
Impartial accountability? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
LIKE free and fair elections, a fair system of accountability has also remained elusive in Pakistan. Numerous efforts have been made ...
Decisions taken today could shape the politics of the future for Pakistan – An Article by PILDAT President published in ARABNEWS
With 2018 coming to a close, there is increasing concern about the political scenarios that will unfold next year. There are several ...
100 days on, several hurdles ahead for the PTI Govt – An Article by PILDAT President published in The Nation London
On Thursday, 29th November, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government completes its first 100 days in office. Prompted by the agenda set...
Parliament’s first 100 days – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
ALTHOUGH parliament did not figure prominently in Imran Khan’s 'first 100 days' agenda - now, appropriately, the Prime Minister’s 100...
The by-election results – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
It is rare that by-election results generate as much interest and prompt as much commentary as was the case with the polls in the nat...
How big should the cabinet be? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
RECENTLY, Prime Minister Imran Khan expanded his cabinet. It has led to a fresh round of questions asked each time a cabinet is forme...
What are the three biggest challenges the new government faces – An Article by PILDAT President published in Newsline Magazine
The most important task before the next government should be to address the strained civil-military relations. As long as the civil-m...
Media Coverage of “Score Card on Assessment of the Quality of General Election 2018 and its Comparison with General Election 2013...
Media Coverage of "Score Card on Assessment of the Quality of General Election 2018 and its Comparison with General Election 2013".
...
The challenges of election day – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
ONE must confess that, despite all the hard work of the Election Commission, a dark cloud of suspicion did hang over polling day on J...
Interview of PILDAT President Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob with ‘TRT World’
TRT World spoke with Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of PILDAT (Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency) – an i...
Full Disclosure | What makes scrutiny of election candidates controversial – An Article by PILDAT President published in published in H...
Every election season, some people are very surprised when they come to know through the media that a returning officer (RO) has aske...
A test for election observers – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
IN a tight election race like the one we are witnessing in Pakistan ahead of July 25 and amidst allegations of ‘pre-poll rigging’ and...
Interview of PILDAT President Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob with ‘Deutsche Welle’
Interview of PILDAT President Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob with ‘Deutsche Welle’
Print Media Coverage – June 29, 2018
'The News' has quoted PILDAT President - Ahmed Bilal Mehboob's statements on June 29, 2018. Links are given below.
Polls under international scrutiny – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
INTERNATIONAL election observers are now widely accepted across the globe especially in democracies which have yet to establish the credibility of their institutions including of their election-management bodies.
Evolution of caretakers – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE original 1973 Constitution had no stipulations for a caretaker government, which is why no provision existed at that time for the dissolution of the National Assembly by the president in his discretion.
Opinion based articles of PILDAT’s Scorecard on Pre-Poll Fairness
Some Opinion based articles mentioning PILDAT’s Scorecard on Pre-Poll Fairness were published by different newspapers.
Print Media Coverage of “Assessment of the Quality of Democracy in Pakistan in 2017
“The Nation and Express Tribune” have quoted PILDAT Study on “Assessment of the Quality of Democracy in Pakistan in 2017”.
Do we really need caretakers? – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
PAKISTAN is in search of caretaker cabinets both at the centre and in the four provinces. It is a unique model which probably exists only in Pakistan.
Media Coverage for Project Closing Ceremony of USAID-SGAFP Project on RTI Law
Media Coverage for Project Closing Ceremony of USAID-SGAFP Project on RTI Law held on Apr 12, 2018 at Avari Hotel, Lahore.
...
Eight years on – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
It was eight years ago on April 19, 2010, that then president Asif Zardari signed the Constitution (Eighteenth) Amendment Bill......
Financing poll campaigns – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
THE approaching general election is expected to be different from the previous 10 elections in many....
Money and politics – An Article by PILDAT President published in DAWN
A major question left unaddressed in the Elections Act pertains to the limit on poll spending.
Media Coverage for 6th NAP Forum
Media Coverage for 6th NAP Forum on Feb 26, 2018 in Avari Hotel, Lahore
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Poll transparency reversed – An Article by PILDAT President published in Dawn
THE Elections Act, 2017, passed by parliament and signed into law by the president of Pakistan in October 2017, has been rightly haile...
Media Coverage for Multi-party Roundtable on the Elections Act, 2017
Media Coverage for Multi-party Roundtable on the Elections Act, 2017 on Feb 8, 2018 in Marriotte Hotel, Islamabad
Sr#
...
Media Coverage for 5th Public Forum on Implementation of NAP
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Newspaper
Title
Weblink
1
Dawn
PILDAT event urges govt to do more on NAP
Cl...
Media Coverage for Project Opening Ceremony of USAID-SGAFP Project on RTI Law
Media Coverage for Project Opening Ceremony of USAID-SGAFP Project on RTI Law held on Dec 16, 2017 at Ghotvi Hall, Islamia U...
Media Coverage of PILDAT’s Roundtable on Reforms in Accountability System of Pakistan
Media Coverage of PILDAT’s Roundtable on "Reforms in Accountability System of Pakistan” on Nov 8, 2017 at Serena Hotel, Islamabad
...
Media Coverage of PILDAT’s Welcoming the Initiative by Senate of Pakistan in Preparing and Publishing the first of its kind Senate Comm...
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Source
Title
URL
1
Jang
PILDAT ki Raza Rabbani ko Senate Committee magazine shai ...
PILDAT reports quoted in Newspapers on 8th of October 2017
Print Media quoted PILDAT reports in their Newspapers on 8th of October 2017.
1. The News - ...
Print Media Coverage of PILDAT Reports: Sep 22-25, 2017
Print Media quoted PILDAT reports in their Newspapers. Web links with headings are given below.
1. &nb...
News Coverage of PILDAT’s Briefing Session on Implementation Status of National Action Plan (NAP) in Punjab with Punjab Assembly’s Stan...
Sr.
Source
Title
URL
1
The News
MPs briefed on NAP implementation
Click to view
...
News coverage of PILDAT’s 3rd Public Forum on Implementation of NAP
Sr.
Source
Title
URL
1
Dawn
Call to take all stakeholders on board in fight again...
Media coverage on PILDAT and Pakistani Delegation visit for Indonesia on Study purpose
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Source
Title
URL
1
The News
Pakistani delegation leaves for Indonesia on study visit
Click to view
2
Daily T...
Media Coverage of Pakistan-India Legislators and Public Officials Dialogue on Sharing of Experiences on Governance and Democracy held o...
Date
Title
Name of News Paper
March 7, 2017
Pak, India officials stress use of technology to i...
Media coverage of PILDAT’s Score Cards on Assessment of the Quality of Governance of Federal Government 2015-16
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Date
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Name of News Paper
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February 22, ...
