For most of its history, Pakistan has been ruled by military dictators. Brief democratic intervals were only possible because the military became so hugely unpopular that it was left with no other option than to temporarily cede space to democracy. The last military dictator was forced to quit in 2008, and Pakistan has since seen the longest spell of civilian control in its history. Instead of moving forward, it has slid backwards, and was downgraded last year from a “hybrid” to an “authoritarian” regime. Its electoral process and its democracy have lost all credibility – not only in the eyes of ordinary Pakistanis, but in the eyes of the world.
We didn’t get here overnight. In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, one character asks another “How did you go bankrupt?”, and gets the famed reply: “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” In the past decade or so, all major political parties in Pakistan have participated in the gradual decline of its democracy. In their lust for power, they have conspired with the military, using its influence to manipulate elections and crush political opponents. In doing so, they have helped to undermine the rule of law, democratic norms and the country’s constitution.
The last two elections were marred by glaring irregularities. Instead of settling political disputes, they exacerbated them. Those held in 2018 brought........