ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) has called for strict adherence to the Constitution and dialogue to strengthen democracy in the country.

“In a civilised society, a strategic dialogue aimed at determining rules of the game for democratic governance is the only way forward. Pildat believes that such a dialogue, already delayed to the detriment of democratic governance, must be initiated urgently amongst all institutions and stakeholders for the greater good of Pakistan, its fragile democracy and its ever-resilient people,” it said in a statement released on Thursday.

Days ahead of the International Day of Democracy to be observed on September 15, it said there were no doubts in the national collective understanding that Pakistan’s democracy was where it was because it had continuously been tampered with and controlled by institutions that have or have had no constitutional rights and responsibilities to do so.

From International Day of Democracy 2023 to 2024, Pakistan’s democracy has seen many developments — though without any real progress, it notes. It says the delayed general election in February 2024 was found wanting on fairness and level playing field for all contestants.

Says political polarisation has shown no signs of improvement

“Legislatures elected through that have failed to utilise their clout to find real solutions to crises of governance. Elected governments in the Centre and provinces look to their higher backers to help them deliver. Citizens’ freedoms, as those of media, are facing newer and stricter curbs.

“The centralised role given to the establishment in facilitating all things appears slow in bearing fruit. Lazy and damningly unimaginative taxation and budgets have the citizens reeling from unprecedented economic woes. Challenges to internal security have intensified through the rise in cases of insurgency while issues of regional security and relations with Pakistan’s neighbours have only become more fraught with strain,” it adds.

It says political polarisation inside the country also has shown no signs of improvement. In fact, the near-rupture in inter-institutional relations threatens a likely showdown between institutions.

It warns that such a showdown may become too costly for even this system that only weakly resembles democracy, where the largest province of the country and the federal capital area remain without elected local governments for the last many years with dim prospects of their revival in the near future.

All, however, is not bad news. Political awareness in citizens, especially in young people, has placed ultimate political power in the hands of the multitude who demand freedom in exercise of their right to choose who governs them as well as a share in democratic governance.

This was especially evident in youth voter turnout which surged to its highest ever — 48 per cent — in 2024, recording a substantial rise of 11 percentage points from 37 per cent in 2018. With doors of traditional political participation in governance firmly shut for them, more and more young people have turned to social media for expression of their views and opinions.

Citizens’ online engagement, however, is unfortunately also being used as a front for dangerous populist opportunism. Sadly, this has given another excuse to the ruling group to crack down on use of all social media in Pakistan by branding it as ‘digital terrorism’.

The use of terms like the “5th generation warfare” and “digital terrorism” also points to a painful tendency in the ruling elite to view citizens from the lens of “us versus them”, with any hint of divergence from their preferred and well-curated viewpoint being seen as a threat.

However, engagement instead of condemnation may offer better chances of success in overcoming populism.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2024