Reconciliation of Pakistan People's Party: A Conduit to Sustainable Democracy in Pakistan

Abstract

Like most of the underdeveloped countries of the world, Pakistan's political history witnessed several unconstitutional and dictatorial regimes causing hurdles in the evolution of democratic culture and traditions in the country. Time and again different democratic governments have been warped up mainly due to mismanagement, unbalanced institutional development or rising political aspiration of the military elites. However, espousal of reconciliation provides an effective tool to minimize the unconstitutional adventurism. The present study is conducted to evaluate the history of reconciliatory politics in Pakistan on the parameters of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs). Here, the pattern is carried out by the main stake holders to promote the national reconciliation. A panoramic view of the contemporary developed countries clearly reveals that almost everywhere TRCs have turn out to be a decisive element of the responses of states, particularly those going through political conversion, to serious acts of human rights violations and impunity occasioned by a history of lingering conflicts and antagonism. Similarly, the mainstream political parties of Pakistan i.e., Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), commonly known as PML (N), have passed through the instable political situation aiming to reconcile under historic Charter of Democracy (COD) to reinforce parliamentary democracy, ensure provincial autonomy, independent judiciary and establishment of an independent Election Commission to ensure proper socio-economic and political evolution of the state. The paper seeks to examine the attempts made by PPP's led coalition government to restore the parliamentary democracy in Pakistan with the spirit and policy of reconciliation.