Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency � PILDAT and the Asia Foundation- Pakistan Office, organized an inter-active Roundtable Discussion with Dr. Kamal Hossain, Former Foreign Minister of Bangladesh on Lessons for Pakistan from Bangladeshi Electoral Reforms and the System of Caretaker Government on Wednesday; May 17, 2006 at 3:00 pm at Best Western Hotel, Islamabad.

The participants included Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan, Former Foreign Minister, Mr. Farhatullah Khan Babar, Former Senator, Mr. Kunwar Khalid Yunus, MNA, Senator S. M. Zafar, Mr. M. P. Bhandara, Senator M. Ibrahim, Senator Dr. Sajid Mir, Senator Nisar A. Memon, Ms. Aasiya Azeem, MNA and the representatives from the Civil Society and Donor Organization.

Background
Some political parties in the opposition are demanding that the next general election in Pakistan be held under a neutral �caretaker government� and the election commission be made more �independent� in order to ensure free, fair and credible election. These parties, some political thinkers and media commentators have cited the Bangladeshi model of a caretaker government and other electoral reforms relevant for consideration by Pakistan. On the other hand, many political parties and independent observers in Bangladesh have expressed serious reservations about the current system of caretaker government and are agitating for next generation of electoral reforms. Are there lessons to be learnt by Pakistan from the Bangladeshi experience with a rather unique system of care taker government? What other electoral reforms are being debated in Bangladesh? What role do indigenous election monitoring organizations such as FEMA play in ensuring free and fair election in Bangladesh? Answers to these and similar questions will be extremely useful for an informed discourse on the subject of Electoral Reforms in Pakistan. Dr. Kamal Hossain, one of the authors of Bangladeshi Constitution and a former Foreign Minister is in a unique position to answer these and many other questions on the subject. A roundtable discussion of Dr. Kamal Hossain with selected representatives of Pakistani political parties, political commentators and political scientists is planned to promote an informed discourse on the subject. The Roundtable Discussion will not be open for media coverage The organisers do not take a position on these questions and would like to promote a healthy, informed and civil debate on these and similar questions. Dr. Kamal Hossain has been specially invited to Pakistan for the roundtable.