Pakistan's democratic future is uncertain

What is the state of Pakistan's political system today? Is the country experiencing significant democratic erosion? Is this different from the past?

- MALEEHA LODHI

Pakistan doesn't, after all, have an edifying democratic record.

The sweep of its tangled history presents a picture of democratic reversals and governance failures. Its search for a viable political order that can provide a stable environment to meet national challenges has been elusive.

A troubled political past has seen the country swing between long bouts of military rule and short-lived, fragile democratic governments.

In periods of civilian rule, the military establishment continued to exercise significant political influence. The post-1988 revival of democracy and subsequent 'democratic decade' saw interventions by the military-backed president to repeatedly oust elected governments with none able to complete their term.

Bitter feuds between political rivals and lack of tolerance for the opposition enabled the establishment to manipulate politics and undercut democratic rule. It easily enlisted the aggrieved political party of the time to support its interventions. Almost every party played this game in pursuit of power and actively sought such interventions against its adversary, reinforcing the military's dominance.

The democratic phase that began in 2008, after president Pervez Musharraf was forced to step down, set a better record with political leaders showing mutual tolerance, greater respect for civil liberties and allowing the media to function fairly independently in a relatively open environment. The 2018 election, however, ushered in a period of hybrid rule that saw the military acquire a more prominent role and emerge as virtual co-partners in governance.

Another phase began with the removal of Imran Khan's government in 2022. This paved the way for the establishment to assume the most expansive role yet in an ostensibly civilian set-up. The past two years have seen a decisive shift in the civil-military power balance in the latter's favour, with its role in governance even extending to economic policy.