Democracy in Pakistan facing persistent systemic issues
The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT), in its annual review of state of democracy in Pakistan for 2024 has outlined critical challenges to democratic health of Pakistan in the outgoing year. As democracy around the world faced crises of multiple types, Pakistan’s democracy also remained under significant strain, the report titled ‘Quality of Democracy in Pakistan 2024,’ said. According to the report, democracy has seldom got a breather in the past decade. The year 2024 has been no exception. Except that if at all it was possible, democracy has been pummeled further, says the report. By an all too familiar scenario, another alliance of politicians with the all-powerful establishment came about, either under extraordinary pressure to address the most serious economic crisis of its history or because of the politicians’ eagerness for crumbs of power. This was achieved through a constitutional, legal and administrative onslaught by holding of a managed election, curbing powers of the Judiciary, muzzling of the Parliament, continuing increase in incarceration of opposition and thwarting and rolling back rights of citizens – all to further centralise decision-making, it said and highlighted key issues which impacted democracy in Pakistan in 2024.
The 12th General Election held in February 2024 after a considerable delay was a largely flawed exercise that served to fracture popular mandate and to provide citizens only with a modicum of political and electoral choice, the report declared.
Apparently to safeguard its razor-thin majority in the Parliament, the federal government embarked on a mission to restructure higher judiciary, it added. The 26th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan effectively changed appointment process for leadership in higher judiciary and bifurcated judiciary in two branches dealing with constitutional and other matters, the report added. The report also credited JUIP’s MaulanaFazal Ur Rehman for resisting due to which the sharp edge of the proposed amendment was blunted to some extent. The Parliament also hurriedly passed amendments to the acts governing three defence services to extend service tenures of respective services chiefs from existing three (3) to five (5) years. This is the first time in the history of the country that such a term increase has been legally introduced without a martial law in place and during peace time, the report said.
Pakistan’s leading political parties have continued to display a sad and familiar proclivity to assist the establishment against a political opponent of the time in return for short-term selfish political gains. Such a regular political pattern has found parties reaping politico-electoral benefits at a steep cost of weakening of democracy and democratic governance in Pakistan. The current political set-up emerged through 12th GE in the centre and provinces is no different, it said.
There are some positive aspects also such as the improving economic stability and the stated willingness and initiation for political dialogue between the PTI and the government which offers the only silver lining. Despite grandstanding by the government and its backers and tough bargaining and threats of civil disobedience by the PTI, it is our belief that a comprehensive dialogue must be sustained to find politically-negotiated solutions for the country’s dire-needed political and economic stability. PILDAT’s report stresses the importance of addressing these systemic issues and calls for a renewed commitment to democratic principles by all institutions and stakeholders.
