Former president and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said the 18th Amendment represented the efforts to protect democracy in the country.

In a message issued in connection with the International Day of Democracy, Zardari said the people were the source of power and democracy was his party’s politics.

Democracy is the prerequisite for the country which required the active participation of masses in state affairs, the former president stressed.

He noted that the PPP had never hesitated in giving sacrificing for the cause. In this connection, he cited the examples of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo too expressed his views on the subject and said, “In recognition of the International Day of Democracy on September 15, we reaffirm the right of every citizen to take part in the processes of democratic self-governance.

“Democracies are accountable to their citizens.  They respect the rule of law, protect lives and property, and respect the freedoms, dignity, and equality of every person,” Pompeo added.

On the other hand, UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a policy brief urged the states to “respect and protect, among other rights, freedom of expression and of the press, freedom of information, freedom of association and of assembly”.

Similarly, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) noted that democracy was as much a process as a goal. Only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere, it said on its website.

Commemorated annually on September 15, the International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.  

The International Day was established in 2007 by the UN General Assembly, which reaffirmed that democracy was a universal value based on the freely-expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of life.