The Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) has Issued a damning report about the state of democracy in Pakistan, describing the February 8, 2024 general elections as a "highly flawed exercise" that "fractured" popular mandate.
According to Pildat's Quality of Democracy in Pakistan 2024 report, a number of factors impacted democracy in Pakistan in 2024 including the general elections that "provided citizens only with a modicum of political and electoral choice".
It said apparently to safeguard its razor-thin majority in parliament, the PML-N led federal government embarked on a mission to restructure higher judiciary.
"The 26th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan effectively changed the appointment process for leadership in higher judiciary and bifurcated the judiciary in two branches dealing with constitutional and other matters.
"Thanks to the resistance offered by JUI-F's Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the sharp edge of the proposed amendment was blunted to some extent," it added.
The report said parliament also hurriedly passed amendments to the acts governing three defence services to extend service tenures of respective services chiefs from existing three to five years.
It said 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 peacetime.
Pildat said Pakistan's leading political parties 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 12th general elections in the centre and provinces is no different."
It said the current set-upin order to manage and silence political dissentstepped up efforts to manage the use of internet and social media platforms by blocking certain applications and controlling the flow of communication through others.
"With 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 rollback from political role. This remains an urgent clarion call for Pakistan."
According to the report, the improving economic stability and the stated willingness and initiation for political dialogue between the PTI and the government offer the only silver lining against this bleak horizon.
"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," it said.
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