ISLAMABAD: Despite increasing digital engagement in Pakistan, nearly two-thirds of the country’s political parties lack a fully functional website, revealed a report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Sunday.
Titled “Assessing Web Presence of Political Parties in Pakistan,” the report finds that only 35 percent or 58 out of 166 registered political parties maintain fully or partially operational websites. Even among the 20 political parties currently represented in the Federal Parliament and/or Provincial Assemblies, just 14 (70 percent) have functional websites.
This web presence is a prerequisite for compliance within the overall purview of Section 208(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, which mandates political parties to publish updated lists of their central office bearers and executive committee members on their websites.
Among those political parties with functioning websites, only 40 parties (69 percent) comply with the legal requirement of publishing a list of central office bearers on the website, and just six (ten percent) with publishing the 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.
FAFEN’s assessment of political parties’ websites found that 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 (PML-N) 11; Awami National Party (ANP) nine; Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan (HDT) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) eight each; Sunni Ittehad Council and Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) seven each; Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP) six each; Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) five; Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) four; and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) one. Among the parties without parliamentary representation, the highest score was 13 that was achieved by Pakistan Tehreek Shadbad (PTS).
Thematically, most websites were more forthcoming in sharing contact information and general organizational details, while financial transparency remained the most under-reported area. The most consistently shared content was the aims and objectives of political parties, featured on 88 percent of websites. Section 201(1)(a) of the 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 83 percent of sites, while 79 percent linked to official social media handles.
The list of central office bearers (Section 208(4)) was available on 69 percent of the websites, although it was not always clear whether these reflected the most recent intra-party election results. Similarly, membership procedures (Section 203) were outlined on 69 percent of sites.
The availability of foundational documents, campaign material, and financial disclosures varied considerably. Only 38 percent of parties shared their constitutions on websites, albeit with little to no information about any recent amendments. Moreover, while 62 percent posted at least one general election (GE) manifesto, only 12 percent uploaded their latest manifesto clearly mentioning their electoral promises for GE-2024. Notably, just one party published its consolidated financial statement, which is required to be submitted to the ECP annually under Section 210(1) of the Elections Act, 2017. Moreover, FAFEN found the statements of assets and liabilities of party office bearers on only one website.
No website provided information about the party’s elected general council(s), which is legally mandated to have at least one meeting per year under Section 207(2) of the 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 the 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), the 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.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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