ROLE OF ETHNICITY IN ELECTTORAL POLITICS OF PAKISTAN: A CASE OF DERA GHAZI KHAN DURIING ELECTIONS 1982-1997

Abstract

The last half of the twentieth century is marked by the rise of the concept of ethnicity in the world. The world War-II promoted ethnonational concept of polity and as a result many new ethnic states emerged on the world map by the end of the World War-II. Ethnicity is a major tool of electoral politics in plural societies especially in authoritarian democracy. In Pakistan as other post-colonial states of the world ethnicity is a deep rooted concept and has a strong impact on political development. Intra-ethnic differences lead the ethnic groups towards ethnic politics to get their representation. In modern democratic states ethnic groups try to pressurize the state for representation while state controlled them through forcefully or negotiate with them to establish its writ. The relation between ethnicity and politics is reciprocal. This research paper is an attempt to understand the nature of relationship between ethnicity and political development in Pakistan with a regional case study; Dera Ghazi Khan District is one of the regions of Pakistan, which has multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual formation of society. Major ethnic groups inhabiting district Dera Ghazi Khan are divided on lingual, racial settlement bases as Baloch, Saraiki, Muhajir and Pashtoon. The relations between these groups have promoted the politics of ethnicity in the region. The electoral results show the role of ethnicity in politics in District Dera Ghazi Khan.