There’s a growing sense of deja vu for observers of Pakistan’s power corridors as the PML-N-led ruling structure races to gain unchecked power.

In the 1990s under Nawaz Sharif’s second tenure as prime minister, the rulers first toppled well-respected president Farooq Leghari, then rode out to capture the Supreme Court led by then-chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah and finally forced out the respected army chief General Jehangir Karamat. Together, those pursuits came with just one objective: to accumulate massive power for the prime minister – albeit with dangerous consequences.

Tragically for Pakistan, those moves together did not block the events of 1999 that forced out the entire democratic structure for almost a decade. Today, that eventuality though seemingly unlikely is nevertheless replaced by other monumental challenges – the politics, economy and society of Pakistan rapidly drifting apart.

Following the controversial 26th Amendment – in effect a move to tighten the grip around the top judiciary – the ground is now being laid for further tinkering with the constitution.

On Monday, the government successfully presided over new constitutional amendments that raised the number of judges in the Supreme Court and extended the terms in office of the chiefs of staff of Pakistan’s armed forces.

For many in the ruling........

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