Pakistan is a ‘Banana Republic’ for its staggering position both in political and economic fields because the MNAs and MPAs have not achieved the majority votes of their constituencies and, therefore, sell votes for dollars and abuse the trust or confidence of their supporters. Why? Because in the general elections many candidates contested and got votes but all less than 50% of the total votes that were cast. Generally 50 to 55% of the voters of the electoral roll come to the polling station and the 45% is already outside this process. Now out of that turnout  for example one top scorer got 30 %, the next one 15 % and third one 7 % and the last one only the poor 3 % and that makes 55% but it rarely reaches the height of 60% turnout so the majority is not in the Assemblies but the 30% vote holder is an MPA or MNA , elected by 30% educated and 70% uneducated voters. This is not the basic concept of Democracy. Those who reach the Assemblies manoeuvre to do so by a number of unfair means, not in a transparent way.

In order to remove that discrepancy there should be a rule and criteria for success in the election that the winner should at least have secured 50% or above votes and that we can accept  true representation by a majority winner candidate. Those who fail to secure that percentage should go through a second round and then a third round. That will purify the system. Otherwise it is no democracy but a  -JISKI LAATHI oS KI BHENS – type of muddle like the one we are facing today.

With that system introduced another important step is to make democracy on some other model or this system a better one that by amendment in the Constitution:

• Only the high educated-graduates and above – should have the right to vote. The illiterate adults should be deleted from the electoral rolls and should have no voting right at all.
• The contesting candidates should also undergo the same process and the fake degree holders must by verified from the Universities concerned and clearance be mandatory.
• This will encourage literacy rate as well as motivate public to get higher education to reach the voting standard.
• Religious knowledge of the candidates be tested at the time of scrutiny or the situation will crop up again as seen a couple of years ago when one Minister could not recite a very short and well- known  Verse of the Holy Quran.
• That a Referendum system both on provincial and National level should be a basic of that system on provincial/Nations issues.
• There has to be a Single party system not the 118 at present. The One party system like Russia, Iran, China model to curb the pubic and the unbridled media. Strong discipline has to be introduced to stabilize the country and the economy. .. Prof. Rahmat Karim Baig, Chitral 29 July 2022