Elections 2024, hybrid regimes and the future of democracy in Pakistan
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Unfair practices and irregularities have tarnished the history of elections in Pakistan due to the continued influence of the military establishment. In the past 75 years, military dictators have ruled Pakistan for 33 years: Ayub Khan/Yahya Khan from 1958 to 1971, Zia-ul-Haq from 1977 to 1988, and General Musharraf from 1999 to 2008. In the remaining 42 years, Pakistan has had 24 Prime Ministers; but if we include the eight caretaker Prime Ministers the number goes up to 32. Since the 1990s, Pakistan has established a system of caretaker governments to hold new elections and ostensibly overcome election engineering, but the caretaker governments have always been controlled by the military. No Prime Minister has ever completed a five-year term in Pakistan—they have all been removed from power due to military pressure and political manoeuvring. This reflects the tension between the civilian and military establishment due to the military’s dominance in controlling political and economic resources in Pakistan. It is argued that this tension has historically been connected to the structural realities of state formation from the very beginning after Pakistan gained independence.
Source: Melbourne Asia Review
Author: Nadeem Malik
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4401064178