Hajra Aslam
Governance plays a vital role in enabling and contributing to an economic transformation. Pakistan was unable to maintain good governance due to a lack of transparency, accountability, poor economic performance, and ineffective bureaucracy. During its first four decades of existence, Pakistan was one of the world’s most successful developing nations in terms of its economy. Nonetheless, the 1990s saw an acceleration of the governance issue. Pakistan’s economy has not performed as well as those of its neighboring countries. Some of the major issues related to governance are as follows: Pakistan has been facing political instability since its creation due to military interventions and weakerpolitical institutions. Political instability often weakens the institutions crucial for ensuring accountability, such as the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory bodies. As a result, there is little to no responsibility for governmental institutions in Pakistan; in particular, accountability has been diminished by political system instability. Making decisions is heavily centralized and devoid of democracy.Pakistan lacks a transparent and public mechanism to fund political campaigns. When political leaders have access to the resources and privileges necessary to effectively oversee the provision of services, and when the public has access to the information necessary to hold them accountable, there is a conducive environment for governance. There isn’t enough political will in Pakistan to make the decision-making process more transparent and open. The government has continuously ignored citizens’ rights to information, notwithstanding their entitlement to it. Furthermore, the information available to Pakistani individuals on general public financial management is restricted. Rapid changes in political leadership, whether through elections, coups, or other means, can disrupt the continuity of policies and reforms. As Pakistan has a parliamentary form of government and the country has seen frequent changes in government. So the political leaders focus more on staying in office rather than working on governmental and public policies which hinders the matters of governance. One of the major reasons for the country’s bad governance is corruption. There is widespread corruption in various sectors including governmental institutions. The nation’s corruption has been made worse by the absence of accountability. Accountability is necessary to prevent corruption and misuse of authority and position. A weak accounting mechanism in the nation has led to poor governance. This wide-scale corruption is hindering effective Governance. The rule of law is a fundamental principle that emphasizes the supremacy of law over arbitrary power. A weak rule of law has detrimental effects on a nation’s economic growth in addition to its democracy. Unfortunately, Pakistan falls short of fulfilling this crucial agreement made by the government with its people in several ways.Pakistan lacks efficient Public Service Delivery.Particular sectors, including healthcare and education, are facing trouble providing the general public with effective and efficient services. These problems include things like inadequate infrastructure, skilled workers, and appropriate monitoring systems. Although Pakistan faces several challenges in the governance system, several steps can improve the system and structure of governance. The democratic system has to be reinforced since disruptions to it taint the entire system. Public accountability for elected leaders is guaranteed by an effective democracy. Regular elections provide people a chance to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction and hold elected officials responsible for their policies and actions.For this, the role of the Election Commission should be checked and balanced to ensure fair elections. Anti-corruption reforms should be made to strengthen the institutions. Also, the Civil Services play an important part in the Country’s governance. For this Improve administrative procedures to cut down on red tape.In the civil service, adopt a merit-based hiring and promotion policy. Invest in public employees’ training and capacity-building. Another main step to be taken is to make an improvement in the education and technology sector. Investment in the education sector should be made to make people aware of their rights and responsibilities. As an educated nation leads to a stronger democracy. E-governance should be adopted to boost efficiency and transparency.To make government data and information easier for the public to access, publish it online. Public Participation should be promoted by implementing mechanisms for participatory decision-making. The rule of law should be strengthened by ensuring equal and fair treatment to all. The capacity of law-enforcing bodies should be enhanced. Policymaking should be improved by implementing policies that promote economic growth.Last but not least, make sure the media is independent and free. A broad media structure should be encouraged to keep the government responsible.Campaigns for public awareness should be launched by the media and civic society. The government, civic society, and other stakeholders must make a consistent and well-coordinated effort to implement these policy proposals. By putting these policies into practice, Pakistan’s government may become more transparent, responsible, and receptive to the concerns of its citizens.
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