ISLAMABAD: A new report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) reveals that nearly two-thirds of Pakistan’s political parties do not operate fully functional websites, despite a growing shift toward digital engagement across the country.
The report, titled “Assessing Web Presence of Political Parties in Pakistan”, shows that only 58 out of 166 registered political parties — just 35% — maintain either fully or partially operational websites.
Even among the 20 political parties currently represented in the Federal Parliament or Provincial Assemblies, only 14 (70%) have functional websites, raising concerns over transparency and legal compliance.
This digital shortfall is particularly significant in light of Section 208(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, which requires political parties to publish updated lists of their central office bearers and executive committee members on their websites. However, compliance remains low: only 40 of the 58 parties with operational websites (69%) have published their central office bearers, and just six have listed their executive committee members.
While some parties maintain active social media profiles, FAFEN emphasizes that social media platforms — due to their transient and algorithm-driven nature — are not a suitable replacement for structured, permanent, and accessible information that websites can offer.
FAFEN’s evaluation also found that parties with parliamentary representation tend to have more comprehensive websites compared to non-represented ones. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) stood out by featuring 18 of the 30 types of content assessed. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) followed with a score of 15, although its website remains inaccessible within Pakistan and can only be viewed via VPN.
Other notable scores among represented parties include:
- Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP): 12
- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N): 11
- Awami National Party (ANP): 9
- Haq Do Tehreek Balochistan (HDT) & MQM-Pakistan: 8 each
- Sunni Ittehad Council & PkMAP: 7 each
- Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) & Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP): 6 each
- Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM): 5
- Balochistan Awami Party (BAP): 4
- Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q): 1
Among non-parliamentary parties, Pakistan Tehreek Shadbad (PTS) scored the highest with 13.
While many websites provided contact information and basic organisational details, financial transparency emerged as the most neglected area across the board.
FAFEN’s findings underscore a critical need for political parties in Pakistan to improve their digital infrastructure and transparency, particularly in meeting the legal requirements set forth in the Elections Act.
