The Charter of Democracy (COD, signed by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif) is indeed a Magna Carta of politics of reconciliation and democracy in Pakistan.

Despite a lot of criticism by the right wing media and politicians, a non-governmental institution after a careful scrutiny has revealed that 90% of the CoD has been implemented.

According to Fauzia Wahab, Central Secretary Information, PPP (The News, 5 July 2010):

The government in its report on two year’s performance has shown it through the help of charts how the government has implemented each and every clause of the CoD, except a few issues like appointment of PCO judges as head of the Judicial Commissions, unveiling the assets of the generals like the politicians and other such matters on which Mian Nawaz Sharif does not seem as enthusiastic as he was before. Much of the CoD has been implemented. So much so that the critics of the government now perforce have to say that CoD has no legal or constitutional status and its implementation has no significance. Why not Sir? Now that a firm foundation for responsible politics has been laid, why are you bent upon weakening it?

…[here is] an outline from the book titled “ Policy, Promise and Performance” on two years performance of the government to establish how much of CoD has been implemented…. But we also need to look at the fact that it is only President Zardari who has implemented 90% of the CoD. The Parliament has passed seven constitutional amendments out of nine settled in the CoD, seven out of eleven laws have been enacted and nine out of ten administrative measures have been put in place. With regard to the Code of Ethics all the three principles are being observed. Steps are also in the offing to build the institutions envisaged in the Charter of Democracy.

(CoD implementation outlook is attached).

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