58 out of 166 parties maintain operational websites: Fafen

ISLAMABAD: Despite increasing digital engagement in Pakistan, nearly two-thirds of country’s political parties lack a fully functional website, reveals a report by Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen).

Titled “Assessing Web Presence of Political Parties in Pakistan”, the Fafen report finds only 35pc or 58 out of 166 registered political parties maintain fully or partially operational websites. Even among 20 parties currently represented in federal parliament and/or provincial assemblies, just 14 (70pc) have functional websites.

This web presence is a prerequisite for compliance within overall purview of Section 208(4) of Elections Act, 2017. It mandates political parties to publish updated lists of their central office-bearers and executive committee members on their websites.

Among those parties with functioning websites, only 40 parties (69pc) comply with legal requirement of publishing a list of central office-bearers on the website, and just six (10pc) with publishing names of their executive committee members.

While many parties maintain active social media profiles, they cannot serve as a substitute for an official website. The short-lived and algorithm-driven nature of social media feeds make them less suited for hosting structured and accessible information.

The Fafen’s assessment of political parties’ websites found those with parliamentary representation generally offer more content-rich digital platforms compared to other parties. Among them, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leads by providing on its website 18 out of 30 distinct types of information that Fafen examined.

It is followed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with a score of 15. However, its website is currently blocked in Pakistan and can only be accessed through a virtual private network (VPN). The website of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) scored 12; Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) 11; Awami National Party (ANP) nine; Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan (HDT) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP) eight each; Sunni Ittehad Council and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) seven each; Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP) six each; Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) five; Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) four and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PMLQ) one.

Among the parties without parliamentary representation, the highest score was 13 achieved by Pakistan Tehreek Shadbad (PTS). Thematically, most websites were more forthcoming in sharing contact information and general organisational details, while financial transparency remained the most under-reported area.

The most consistently shared content was aims and objectives of political parties, featured on 88pc of websites. Section 201(1)(a) of Elections Act, 2017 mandates the political parties to include this information in the party constitution. Contact details for at least one party office were present on 83pc of sites, while 79pc linked to official social media handles.

The list of central office-bearers (Section 208(4)) was available on 69pc of websites, although it was not always clear whether these reflected the most recent intra-party election results. Membership procedures (Section 203) were outlined on 69pc of sites.

The availability of foundational documents, campaign material and financial disclosures varied considerably. Only 38pc of parties shared their constitutions on websites, albeit with little to no information about any recent amendments.

While 62pc posted at least one general election (GE) manifesto, only 12pc uploaded their latest manifesto clearly mentioning their electoral promises for GE-2024. Just one party published its consolidated financial statement, which is required to be submitted to ECP annually under Section 210(1) of Elections Act, 2017.

Fafen found statements of assets and liabilities of party office-bearers on only one website. No website provided information about party’s elected general council(s), which is legally mandated to have at least one meeting per year under Section 207(2) of Elections Act, 2017.

Similarly, none of the websites had information about the procedure for selection of candidates for elective offices for which Section 206 of Elections Act 2017 instructs the parties to adopt a transparent and democratic procedure.

The method of electing office-bearers (Section 201(1)(f)(i)), process of suspension or expulsion of members (Section 205), tenure of office-bearers (Section 201(1)(d)), or an explicit declaration of prohibition on foreign donations (Section204(3)) were each available on one website.