In its annual review of democracy in Pakistan, PILDAT highlighted significant challenges to the country’s democratic health in 2024.
As democracy faces crises around the world, Pakistan continues to experience substantial strain.
Over the past decade, Pakistan’s democracy has seldom had a moment of respite, and 2024 is no exception. In fact, if anything, democracy has been further weakened. A familiar pattern has emerged, with politicians forming alliances with the powerful establishment, either under immense pressure to address an unprecedented economic crisis or out of their desire for a share of power. This alliance has been established through a series of constitutional, legal, and administrative manoeuvres, including a managed election, limitations on the judiciary’s powers, curtailing parliamentary functions, the ongoing detention of opposition figures, and the rollback of citizens’ rights—all aimed at further centralizing decision-making.
PILDAT’s report, Quality of Democracy in Pakistan 2024, highlights the following key issues which impacted democracy in Pakistan in 2024:
The 12th General Election held in February 2024 after a considerable delay was an essentially flawed exercise that served to fracture the popular mandate and to provide citizens only with a modicum of political and electoral choice.
The federal government embarked on a mission to restructure the higher judiciary to safeguard its razor-thin majority in the Parliament. 26th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan effectively changed the appointment process for leadership in the higher judiciary and bifurcated the judiciary into two branches dealing with constitutional and other matters. Thanks to the resistance offered by JUIP’s Maulana Fazal Ur Rehman, the sharp edge of the proposed amendment was blunted to some extent.
Parliament also hurriedly passed amendments to the acts governing three defence services to extend service tenures of respective service chiefs from existing three (3) to five (5) years. This is the first time in the country’s history that such a term increase has been legally introduced without martial law in place and during peacetime.
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 democracy and democratic governance in Pakistan.
The current political set-up emerged through the 12th GE in the centre, and provinces are no different. To manage and silence political dissent, the current set-up has stepped up efforts to manage the use of the Internet and social media platforms by blocking specific applications and controlling the flow of communication through others.
With the growing centralization of decision-making significantly influenced by the establishment, a key conundrum facing citizens is how to communicate their valid concerns against this role without compromising the sanctity and status of the military, which should be a red line for each citizen. However, despite the continuing sane advice to withdraw from politics – not just to focus on their primary task of defence and security but also to safeguard their unifying public image from tarnishing – there is no public testimony of acceptance of this advice and roll-back from the political role.
This remains an urgent clarion call for Pakistan. Against this bleak horizon, improving economic stability and the PTI’s stated willingness to initiate political dialogue offer the only silver lining. Despite the government’s grandstanding and its backers’ tough bargaining and threats of civil disobedience, the PTI’s tough bargaining and threats of civil disobedience, we believe that a comprehensive dialogue must be sustained to find politically negotiated solutions for the country’s direly 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.
