KARACHI: Commenting on the spectacular success of the Cockroach Janata Party in India following the huge win of the students’ movement in Bangladesh, Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here on Sunday said that the pro-people politics was the only way forward for Pakistan.
He said for decades, Pakistan’s political landscape had been dominated by elite-driven power struggles, with people reduced to passive spectators.
Today, as the country faced unprecedented economic hardships, climate disasters, and a shrinking civic space, a new consensus was emerging: the survival of Pakistan’s democracy depended on a fundamental shift toward pro-people politics — an alliance between citizens’ rights groups and political parties that put the welfare of ordinary Pakistanis above all else.
He said in fact his party, previously known as Pasban, was the first model of a pro-people movement.
He said that though the PDP and the Cockroach Janata Party were not related to one another,yet they did share the ideal: raising a strong voice for the downtrodden people.
He said the current political model in Pakistan, characterized by dynastic rivalries, institutional confrontations, and state-centric governance, had left millions behind. While politicians trade accusations and governments prioritize regime security over human security, the people of Pakistan bear the burden of soaring inflation and mass unemployment among a desperate youth population.
Altaf Shakoor said pro-people politics was not a slogan. It was a paradigm shift. It demanded that rights groups and political parties set aside narrow agendas and commit to economic justice for all.
He said pro-people politics recognized that access to information and culture was not a luxury but a fundamental right. It demanded accountability and transparency, ensuring thatpeoplehad the right to know how their taxes were spent, with fiscal transparency, parliamentary oversight, and an end to the culture of impunity that shields the powerful from accountability.
He said,“We also demand universal social security for our citizens, along with policies that address price hikes, joblessness and social injustice.”
He said the rights groups must act as watchdogs, and political parties must champion anti-corruption as a non-negotiable principle.
He said that the downtrodden and marginalized people, who have been systematically excluded from decision-making, must be represented not as tokens but as equal partners in governance. He said it needs the reclaiming of democracy from elites, recognizing that internal democracy within political parties is as important as external democracy, and that parties must open their ranks to workers, women, and youth — not just as voters but as leaders.
Altaf Shakoor said civil society organizations have long been the conscience of the nation, documenting abuses, challenging state overreach, and amplifying the voices of the voiceless, but they cannot do it alone.
To shift the political paradigm, rights groups must build coalitions with political parties that share a pro-people vision, engage in voter education and awareness campaigns, hold all parties accountable to their pro-people commitments, and mobilize communities to demand their rights, not plead for them.
He said for their part, political parties must recognize that their survival depends on public trust, and a pro-people platform offers a path to regain the legitimacy they have lost. They must draft manifestos centered on human development, not just power, commit to consulting civil society on major policy decisions, and protect the civic space.
He said pro-people politics was not the responsibility of activists or politicians alone — it is the right and duty of every citizen.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026