The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Previous Activities

In March 2002, NDI opened an office in Islamabad and launched a program to assess the state of political parties in Pakistan. The Institute facilitated research to examine challenges facing the country's political parties and to identify reform-minded party leaders committed to strengthening democratic processes and institutions. Subsequent programs have focused on improving the ability of citizens to monitor government activity, providing training for journalists, increasing the skills and capacity of political party members, strengthening the capacity of political parties to engage in local governance and working with parties to promote sustainable, peaceful dialogue on a range of issues undermining Balochistan's stability.

NDI and its local partner, the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), launched a program in March 2004 to enhance the capacity of Pakistan's political parties to undertake internal party reform. This six-month pilot project, based in the North West Frontier Province (now renamed Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa), was designed to support the emergence of reform minded party leaders from parties committed to a democratic political system. The pilot program expanded into a multi-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded nationwide political party program.

• Political parties stress democratic reforms key for resolving FATA problems»

In May 2004, NDI began implementing a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) funded program, "Supporting Women Political Leaders in Muslim South Asia," which sought to improve the capacity of women to campaign for elected offices, enhance the capacity of women legislators and party workers to serve as elected officials and develop a sustainable local capacity to train women party members and elected representatives in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This program was expanded in Pakistan in the summer of 2006. After extensive consultation with political party leaders, leading academics, political party experts and civil society representatives experienced in youth mobilization in Pakistan, the Institute launched another DRL funded program to strengthen youth wings in political parties. Through the program, the Institute provided party youth with opportunities to conduct practical activities, organize, support and strengthen the youth wings, develop party publications, manage youth focused campaign programs, register voters and develop a youth wing code of conduct for free and fair elections.

In May and October 2007, NDI organized pre-election assessment missions in advance of parliamentary and provincial elections. The Institute implemented a program and trained approximately 45,000 party polling agents to monitor polling stations on election day. NDI also worked with political parties to provide advice on the design and implementation of a communication system for the collection and analysis of election results and complaints.

• Daschle sees little action thus far to ensure free and fair elections in Pakistan»
• NDI urges return to democratic civilian rule in Pakistan»
• NDI urges improvements in Pakistan's electoral security»
• Statement of the NDI pre-election delegation to Pakistan» (October 2007)
• Former Senate Majority Leader Daschle to lead NDI Pakistan election mission»
• Statement of the NDI pre-election delegation to Pakistan» (May 2007)

During the same period NDI conducted pre-election and post-election roundtables on strengthening participation of women in the elections. Women were provided with opportunities to share the obstacles faced to election participation with the Election Commission of Pakistan and the central leadership of their respective parties.

• Despite setbacks, Pakistan sees hope for democratic rule»

NDI worked with the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation to complete a series of workshops on FATA which brought together over 300 residents from the tribal areas and focused on the extension of the Political Parties Act to the tribal areas, reform of the Frontier Crimes Regulation, and the legal and constitutional status of FATA within the Pakistani federation. At the completion of the workshops, the recommendations were published in a report titled "Mainstreaming FATA." This report was presented to President Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad at a national seminar in January 2009.

Contact Information

For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:
Islamabad
Sandra Houston, Senior Resident Director

Washington, D.C.
Brian Vogt, Program Manager
Bvogt@ndi.org
(202) 728-5442

  Subscribe to updates about Pakistan