Monday, August 27, 2012

Political Parties Or Political Arrangements: A Philosophical Critique of Pakistani Politics


This August 10, Alternate Solutions Institute released my 2nd Urdu book, Siyasi Partian Ya Siyasi Bandobast: A Philosophical Critique of Pakistani Politics. Copied below are the English and Urdu media releases:

Urdu Book "سیاسی پارٹیاں یا سیاسی بندوبست" (Siyasi Partian Ya Siyasi Bandobast) published

The book attempts a philosophical analysis of Pakistan’s political parties

The book smashes a number of political myths and cliches

Author dubs political parties as enemies of the citizens and focuses on how to make them friends of the citizens

Lahore August 10, 2012: Alternate Solutions Institute released today Dr. Khalil Ahmad's 2nd Urdu book, “Siyasi Partian Ya Siyasi Bandobast: Pakistani Siyasat Ke Pech-o-Khum Ka Falsafiyani Muhakma” (Political Parties Or Political Arrangements: Philosophical Analysis of the Intricacies of Pakistani Politics). His first book, "Pakistan Mein Riyasti Ashrafiya Ka Urooj" (The Rise of State Aristocracy in Pakistan) came out in February this year and has been acclaimed as path-breaking.

The new book holds that the citizens are in a fix vis-à-vis political parties of Pakistan. It is the same political parties which act as their enemies when in power, and at the same time it is these parties which may act as their friends. The author deals with this thorny issue in a befitting manner. He says that these political parties after obtaining votes destroy the lives of the citizens, as is happening now; and it is the same parties which may bring peace, security and prosperity in their lives. How to make this miracle happen? This question is the focus of the book.

The book explains in detail how and when political parties come to act as political parties, and why most of the time they remain just political arrangements seeking party loyalties and protecting party interests.

The book argues that what demands citizens ought to put before the political parties, and what demands they must never. It is this deception all the politics of the political parties derives from and is based on. It is this parrot in which lies the life of the political parties. The citizens must not ask for such things from the political parties which they cannot provide. This is the Welfarist Agenda of the political parties which tantalizes the citizens, and they are trapped. The citizens should empower political parties for doing only those things which form their fundamental duty: protection of citizens’ life, property and their rights. This is the Protective Agenda.

The book further argues that the citizens must not hand over their whole life into the hands of political parties. If they do that, as to some extent they have already done so, then the political parties will act as the owners and disposers of their lives. In fact, the political parties are already substantiating such claims of theirs over the life of the citizens. Thus, they use the citizens as the fuel for their ideas and ideologies to flourish. In fact, they are already thrown the citizens into such fires. The book concentrates on such issues, and points out a way out of this situation which may make political parties to act as the friends of the citizens.

The book also attempts detailed philosophical analysis of certain political parties such as Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League (N), Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, Jamat-e-Islami, Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam (F), and classifies them all as Welfarist. The book shows why most of the political parties, such as PML (Q), PTI, PPP, are just political arrangements, and not political parties proper.

The author of the book, Dr. Khalil Ahmad, has been teaching Philosophy, and is mainly devoted to Political Philosophy. He is one of the founders of the Alternate Solutions Institute, a think tank dedicated to the strengthening of personal freedom and rule of law in Pakistan. His most important works are "Pakistan Mein Riyasti Ashrafiya Ka Urooj" (The Rise of State Aristocracy in Pakistan), and "Charter of Liberty.”

The price of the 128 page hard-bound book is Rs.200. For more information and purchasing the book, the Institute may be contacted at: Phone: 0303 – 4000 161 ; Email: info@asinstitute.org
Address: Room No. 32, 3rd Floor, Landmark Plaza, 5/6 Jail Road, Lahore

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