In Pakistan, creeping authoritarianism threatens democracy ‘for decades to come’

Experts predict new laws solidifying military influence will have lasting repercussions for civil liberties and political dissent

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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attends a guard of honour ceremony in Islamabad. Photo: Prime Minister’s Office/Handout via EPA-EFE

Published: 3:30pm, 16 Nov 2024Updated: 3:37pm, 16 Nov 2024

Months after a contentious general election that was marred by accusations of ballot rigging, Pakistan’s ruling coalition has bulldozed a constitutional amendment through parliament that critics fear could erode the very foundations of the country’s democracy.

In an extraordinary overnight session late last month, lawmakers “rubber-stamped” sweeping reforms that risk transforming the nation’s hybrid democracy into an authoritarian regime reminiscent of Myanmar.

The political impact of the new laws, backed by the powerful military establishment, “is quite concerning and may be felt for decades to come,” according to Sahar Khan, deputy director of the South Asia programme at the Stimson Centre, a Washington-based think tank.

Coalition leaders – worried that revealing the draft would prompt a pre-emptive injunction from Supreme Court judges sympathetic to jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party – kept the amendment shrouded in secrecy, presenting it to the National Assembly and Senate without the usual public review process.

A supporter kisses a portrait of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan during a protest in Islamabad. Photo: AFP

Enacted just before dawn on October 21, the constitutional changes doubled the number of Supreme Court judges, effectively stripping the opposition of its numerical advantage, and altered the appointment process for the chief justice to favour pro-government candidates.