Citizen-Centric e-governance: Can Pakistan's democracy be improved?

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have turned into the miracle medicine for curing any country from the diseases of corruption, mismanagement, poor governance, inflation, monopolies, illiteracy and so forth. ICT tools and techniques to support good governance have considerably changed with the appearance of social media, simulation techniques, opinion mining, open government data, text analytics and visualization. Today, people are more connected than ever before through ICT, linked to family, friends, social groups, and increasingly, government. Similarly, ICT tools are empowering to engage with government and find clarity on issues that touch their lives. In developed countries, governments are regarding the call to deliver information in a way that create transparency and demonstrates accountability.

In every sector, information and communications technologies (ICTs) are powerful tools for controlling corruption and ill practices. ICT works principally well when they are embedded in extensive institutional reforms. Generally, ICTs for good governance and controlling corruption operate by shining a bright light upon institutional development. ICTs improve transparency particularly at the transactional level, at the same time offer opportunities for easier access to public records, and establishing linkages among geographically separated structures for better accountability.

In every part of the world from industrialized to developing countries, governments are putting information online to provide better services for citizens and good governance. Globally, there are various countries that are aiming towards refreshing their public administration by making it more proactive, accountable, service-oriented and transparent. This transformation requires intervention of technology in administration and governance, accordingly ICT can play significantly important role in advancement of public sector and its governance. Governments around the world are, therefore, making use of ICT as a standard for promoting Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) electronic government (e-government). Generally, e-government incorporates three dimensions:

• Democratic dimension (e-Democracy): Focusing on the political processes and interaction between the constituents and the government.

• Administrative dimension (e-Administration): Including various types of management work, internal and external routines.

• Service dimension (e-Service): Relating to the delivery of all types of services.

• Participation dimension (e-Participation): To engage with citizens and enable deeper contributions and support deliberative debate on policy issues and to support the democratic decision-making process.

UN member states have recognized broad public participation as an essential prerequisite for the attainment of sustainable development. Public participation always has positive repercussion on good governance and adding the ‘e’ can make good governance better and bad governance worse. Establishing good governance and public participation have become a key concern for sustainable socio-economic development. It has been acknowledged that development cannot take place without sound and capable governance.  

Today, technologies in computing, information system and communication have led to the death of distance and time. Networking technologies work exceptionally fast and can improve anything and everything. Using ICTs to promote, as stated in United Nations Millennium Declaration, “democratic and participatory governance based on the will of the people,” may lead to more responsive and effective government. In a nutshell, democracy, good governance and modernity cannot be imported or imposed from outside a county. Let every forum of policy makers, political leaders and ICT professionals’ converse and fabricate a comprehensive set of recommendations for the successful execution of anywhere-anytime citizen-centric e-Governance across Pakistan.

e-Judiciary - modernizing judiciary with technology

“The future of law is not to be found in impressive buildings or leather bound books but in small pieces of silicon; in streams of light; and in millions of miles of wires and cable.” – Katsh
Technological developments in the meadow of information and communication technology (ICT) and introduction of computers have made a turning point in the history of human civilization. It has brought about a change of tack in all fields of human activity and has resulted in enhanced efficiency, productivity and quality of output in every walk of life. Evolution in technology, particularly the growing use of internet, have created borderless “e-world” and paved the way for irresistible and unmatched changes in every phase of life, including justice. The information and communication technology (ICT) has been advocated in the developed countries for the last two or three decades and this scenario gained astounding thoughts to have technology combined in administration of justice.
ICT has an influential position to play in the modernization of justice, improving efficiency, transparency and effectiveness, and redesigning the judicial process to manage the delivery of justice. The use of ICT in this perspective may not only improve the efficiency and transparency of justice processes but also, enhance the interaction between citizens and public authorities. As a result, the concept of e-Judiciary comes in, and we should also keep in mind that e-Judiciary is not just about “e” or computers. Its basis is judiciary should be primarily concerned with providing justice to the citizens. It should fulfill what justice seekers demand from the system, that is, speedy less expensive, quality, corruption free justice. Principally, e-Judiciary is a process of modernizing judiciary that uses information and communication technology (ICT) for its proceeding to provide justice to people.
Typically, e-Judiciary consists of Case Management System, Information Management System and Court Automation System. This process generally goes this way in order:
•    Registering cases
•    Managing cases
•    Hearing of cases and handling post hearing and report
Judiciary in Pakistan urgently needs re-engineering its course of action, modernize the use of its human resource and bring about change management by harnessing the potentiality of the available information and communication technology to its fullest extent. By using information and communication technology, an effective and efficient system of e-Judiciary can be develop and that system may possibly ensure that judiciary is accessible to all which is trusted by all and it is reliable to all.
The National Judicial Policy 2009 proposes to eradicate corruption and delays from the country’s judicial system, therefore, it is exceptionally significant for Pakistan to have well established e-judicial system on the pillars of speedy and transparent trial system in order to provide fair justice to the people.  Although, Pakistan is a developing country as such, is not yet an advance in ICT innovations, but must not avoid the adoption of electronic method of justice delivery. The electronic methods will not only bring transparency, security of court’s documents but also, swift dispensation of justice. Conversely, the successful implementation and adoption of electronic methods may be challenged by epileptic electric supply, network dysfunction, lack of IT skills, and absence of relevant legal framework. There are many other challenges to implement e-Judiciary in Pakistan as-well i.e.
•    Lack of long term strategy
•    No provision for linking technology with performance
•    No effective planning for the development of skilled HR development in ICT
•    Problems in attitude to manage the change
•    Commitment not to the extent of expectation
Finally, the construction and maintenance of the modern justice system will need extensive preparation and determination. There are already successful precedents in various countries for the use of ICT in judicial system such as European e-Justice (https://e-justice.europa.eu/home.do), European e-Justice Portal (http://ec.europa.eu/justice/criminal/european-e-justice/portal/index_en.htm), Hong Kong Judiciary (http://www.judiciary.gov.hk/en/index/), Indian e-Courts (http://ecourts.gov.in/), Namibia Superior Courts (http://www.ejustice.moj.na/SitePages/Home.aspx) etc. Experience across the developed countries that have embarked on ICT in their justice systems show that ICT tools help to improve and develop the judicial process. For the reason, e-Justice should be a major priority for developing countries like Pakistan. Along with technological developments; institutional and social change within the judicial system should be considered, as well as the harmonization of laws to ICT. Moreover, the whole society has to keep up with the technological development. Social demand is as necessary as effective government determination to improve the administration of justice by ICT.

Science Journalism - building public engagment in science

“I saw on TV…”, “I heard on radio…” and “I read in the newspaper…” are phrases that catch our attention. In the 21st century, the mass media has become the most influential medium that communicates to large numbers of individuals. News is the building block that helps us to construct an understanding of the world we live in, and science and technology (S&T) are principal dynamics in shaping tomorrow’s world. Research and innovation have been acknowledge as key factors in meeting the numerous challenges of our time such as energy supply, food security, health and mobility, environmental changes etc. Being key challenges, public and policy makers must be provided the information that is obligatory to call science and technology to account. For the reason, there is an increasing need of independent science journalism and science communicators to interpret, explain and comment on the results of scientific research and technological development. 

Globally, the public communication of S&T – Science Journalism, is expanding rapidly as a professional and academic field. In developed counties science journalism is accelerating because of advances in information and communication technology (ICT) that facilitates scientific and methodological reporting and scientists are reaching the pubic and policy makers through blogs and social media tools. Momentarily, Pakistan has made a phenomenal progress in S&T and ICT in the past two decades, on the other hand, to what extent the science and scientific knowledge is transmitted to the common masses remains a tricky question in Pakistan?

Science journalism appears to be flourishing in developing counties and journalists are now operating a new science-media ecosystem where scientists and journalists are providing original discoveries directly to the general public instead of going through the official publishing process. Science services made the first sustained effort at gathering and dissemination consistently credible, engaging and understandable news of science and emerging technologies to a nationwide audience through the easily accessible mainstream media. The emerging field of science journalism sought to produce a science-minded public able to appreciate, and willing to support and understand science and technology and scientific research. 

Because of the importance of S&T, it is important that science journalists show how science actually works. That goes beyond just editorials about remarkable expansions in science but includes information about the organizations and funding of scientific research too. Scientific writing or science journalism remains embryonic in Pakistan and there are many dimensions to the problems. Unfortunately the large segments of the population even do not have access to scientific knowledge due to illiteracy and in absence of critically planned science policy for dissemination of scientific knowledge to non-scientific community. Although, Pakistan’s engagement in scientific activities is multiplying and diversifying but, science journalism is very much limited and mainstream media coverage on issues related to S&T is alarmingly poor and limited. Conversely, low priority in science journalism in the mainstream media is also deeply rooted in the country’s journalism history. 

The idea that, to be successful, a technology must meet local needs, conditions and resources for social development. I would say there is definitely a future for science journalism in Pakistan. There is a need for scientific reporting about developments in science and technology, including science policy and science funding. Last but not the least, a multi-prolonged strategy is required to make science journalism effective in our society for that scientific platform should be created to engage scientists and media practitioners to have close discourse on issues relating to scientific and technological developments in Pakistan.