infighting between them to this day. Hence, the power asymmetry between political and military institutions is one of the hurdles to democracy in Pakistan, Secondly, the feudalistic, elite dominated and clientelist political order is another hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. Most of the parliamentarians in parliament belong either to elite industrialist or feudal families. On the other hand, majority of the population in Pakistan is middle-class. This non-representation of population in the parliament is erosive of democracy. Also, these parliamentarians have their beneficiary networks of political contacts who get benefited in the shape of government jobs and welfare programs. As a result, the poor population is largely excluded from the political setup. Therefore, feudalistic, elite dominated political order is a hurdle for democracy in Pakistan, ‘Thirdly, low literacy rate of 57% in Pakistan is another major hurdle for democracy. This is because the uneducated population is unaware of their fundamental rights which democracy {s supposed to protect. Also, uneducated population is unable to be vigilant and is unable to hold the government accountable. They are often misled by false promises of local feudal lords and are unaware how their power of vote should be rightly used. Moreover, they are unaware of the parameters on which they should hold their leaders accountable. Consequently, Pakistan's low literacy rate as compared to its neighbors is @ hurdle for democracy. Fourthly, disrespect of parliamentary norms by parliamentarians is yet another hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. The attendance of parliamentarians in parliament frequently falls below 25%. This is significantly low when we compared with developed democratic countries. When parliamentarians disrespect the parliament, a message is sent to the general populace as well as other powerful institutions that democratically elected institutions should be held in low regard. As a result, this creates greater space for military and judicial spheres to interfere in the democratic setup, Hence, the disrespect of parliamentary norms by parliamentarians is significant hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. Fifthly, polarized politics Is another important hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. Currently, Pakistan's society is highly polarized both politically and socially. This is largely because of the divisive rhetoric of the major political parties. War of words between the members of government and that of opposition is a common occurrence in Pakistan. Also, there is no consensus on major issues between the parties as was evident in the case of covid-19 pandemic. The divisive rhetoric of the leaders on both sides of the fence, in turn divides their voter base as well, leading to social polarization. As a result, the spirit of tolerance is eroding in the society. As was witnessed in the case of Chile in the 1970s, this polarization creates space for non-democratic actors and becomes the breeding ground for military coups. Therefore, polarized politics is a hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. Sixthly, judicial activism in Pakistan is another significant hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. In Pakistan, unlike USA, there is no check on the powers of judiciary. The members of superior judiciary are appointed by Judicial Commission which is largely comprised of judges as well. Also, the removal of judges of supreme court is done by Supreme Judicial Council which is also comprised of judges. As a result, the judiciary in Pakistan can do whatever it pleases in the form of Suo mote actions and can interfere with the domain of democratically electedDemocracy in Pakistan: Hopes and Hurdles Outline Introduction Although democracy in Pakistan faces certain hurdles; however, some bright rays of hope are also discernable on the national horizon. 2. Whatis democracy? a. Principles of democracy. b. Status of democracy in Pakistan. 3. Whatare the hurdles for democracy in Pakistan? a. Power asymmetry between political and military institutions. b. Feudalistic, elite dominated, clientelist political order. ¢, Lowliteracy rate of 57%. d, Disrespect of parliamentary norms by parliamentarians, . Polarized politics; political and social polarization. f. Judicial activism undermining publicly elected institutions. g. Lack of institutional reforms; little checks and balances on executive, NAB reforms. hh. Poor internal democracy of political parties. 4, What are the hopes for democracy in Pakistan? a. Constitutional protection for democratic system; passage of 18 amendment 'b. Devolution of power to provinces; NFC award. ¢. Improving democratic ethos; longest uninterrupted period of democracy. d. Public sentiment against military coups in the world; Turkey. e. Emergence of new political parties and politicization of youth. f. Emerging middle class, 40% of Pakistan’s population is middle-class. B Emergence of media as 4™ pillar of state. h. Provisional status of a pravince being considered for Gilgit Baltistan, 5. Way forward: What practical steps should be taken to strengthen democracy in Pakistan? a. Local governments should be empowered; logical conclusion of power devolution. b. Provinces should have their own constitutions for their empowerment; like in USA. ¢. Bicameral legislature in provinces for their empowerment; like in USA. d. New provinces should be created to promote inclusivity. Conclusion Despite numerous challenges, democracy in Pakistan is showing promise; the practical measures mentioned above will go a long way to help democracy succeed in Pakistan.Democracy in Pakistan: Hopes and Hurdles “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried.” + Winston Churchill Democracy has proven to be the mast successful model of political organization in the history of mankind according to the political scientist, Francis Fukuyama. In Pakistan, however, democracy has not been allowed to take root for several reasons including prolonged periods of military rule. To this day, Pakistan continues to face a plethora of hurdles to its democratic system including civil-military relations and elite dominated political order. On the other hand, some bright rays of hope for democracy are visible in the shape of passage of 18" amendment, the currently ongoing longest uninterrupted period of democracy, and emergence of media as the 4" pillar of state. Moreover, in order to strengthen democracy in Pakistan, some pragmatic measures, like empowerment of local government bodies and creation of new provinces, need to be taken. Although democracy in Pakistan faces certain hurdles; however, some bright rays of hope are also discernable on the national horizon. In order to understand the hopes and hurdles of democracy in Pakistan, it is important to understand the principles that characterize democracy. Democracy is characterized by principles such as written constitution, presence of multiple political parties, constitutional protection of fundamental rights, free media, rule of law, independence of judiciary, vigilance, educated citizenry, spirit of toleration, removal of gross inequalities, and protection of minority rights, These are the principles which are generally present in a successful democratic nation. Therefore, if a nation has it, then it can be said to be democratic. Now analyzing the status of democracy in Pakistan based on these principles, we can safely say that democracy is in a poor health in Pakistan on at least on some indicatars. This is because the electronic media is often censored in Pakistan in the form of blackouts, newspapers are prevented from publishing content against the ruling parties. Also, gross inequalities are present in our society with a large portion of population living below the poverty line. Moreover, rule of law is completely absent. It takes generations for people to get justice. The police force is characterized by corruption and nepotism as well. Furthermore, the accountability system is dysfunctional with political victimization all too prevalent in the name of accountability. Also, the level of education in the populace is abysmally law. Hence, the status of democracy in Pakistan is in poor health. Having shed light on the poor status of demacracy in Pakistan, it is imperative to have a look at the hurdles to a successful democratic system in Pakistan. Firstly, there is power imbalance between political and non-political institutions. This is because since its inception Pakistan has been a security conscious state, not least because of a hostile neighbor in the shape of India. This has led to overdependence on military which is an organized and disciplined institution. Throughout Pakistan's history, a vacuum has been created either because of absence of able leadership in the initial years after the death of Quaid or shting between the political parties. This vacuum created the pre-requisites for the all-powerful military in Pakistan to intervene in politics throughout its history. On the other hand, the political institutions and political parties are ill-disciplined and there is constantinstitutions like the parliament and prime minister, which undermines democracy. Hence, judicial activism is a major hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. Seventhly, lack of much needed institutional reforms is yet another hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. In the true spirit of representative democracy, the parliament should be supreme in Pakistan. However, we see that it has limited powers. For example, the budget approved by parliament can be significantly changed by the executive (Prime Minister), which is, not the case in western democracies like the USA. Also, there is no check an the international treaties signed by the executive, unlike in USA where senate ratifies every international treaty done by the President. Moreover, NAB — the accountability watchdog —is in need of reforms as ‘well. As accountability is one of the major pillars of democracy, NAB should be reformed in a ‘way that it should be seen as doing across the board accountability. Also, it should have a sufficient cause for arrest rather than doing the arrests arbitrarily. Thus, lack of institutional reforms, particularly of parliament and NAB, are a hurdle for democracy in Pakistan. Eighthly, poor internal democracy of political parties is another hurdle to democracy in Pakistan. Before the 2018 elections, the major political parties did conduct internal elections. However, these elections were merely a formality and the same party stalwarts got important positions as they were before the intra-party elections. This is detrimental to democracy because it sends the message that democracy is merely a formality and you have to get to power by whatever means possible. This further removes public trust in democratic process and democratic institutions which is a hurdle for demacracy in Pakistan. Having expounded on the hurdles faced by democracy in Pakistan, it Is imperative to ook at the hopes far democracy in Pakistan. Thankfully, all is not doom and gloom and there are some bright signs discernable on the horizon which are positive for democracy. Firstly, constitutional protection of the democratic system is the most important hope for democracy in Pakistan. Previously, the notorious article 58 2 (b) allowed the president to dissolve assemblies arbitrarily. This undermined the democratically elected institutions. However, the passage of 18" amendment in 2010, took this power away from the president. As a result, there is greater stability in the democratic process and the confidence of public in the democratic institutions is getting restored as well. Consequently, the passage of 18" amendment provides protection to democratic system and is a hope for democracy. Secondly, devolution of power to provinces is another hope for democracy in Pakistan. Democracy thrives on inclusivity and devolution of power, where no one feels left out or marginalized. The 18" amendment included NFC award whi creased the share of provinces in the federal divisible pool from 47.5% to 57.5%. This empowers provinces which is beneficial for democracy. Also, more legislative powers were given to provinces in the 18" amendment, and the subjects of health and education came under their domain, Hence, the devolution of power to provinces is second most important hope for democracy. Thirdly, improving democratic ethos in Pakistan are another hope for democracy. Pakistan entered its longest period of continuous democracy in 2017, in its entire history. This shows that all the stakeholders, including the politicians, military and the general public are embracing the democratic ethos. This provides strength to democracy because democraticHaving expounded on the hopes and hurdles for democracy in Pakistan, itis imperative to see what are the practical steps which can be taken by Pakistan so that its democracy can be strengthened. Firstly, the most important step to strengthen democracy is that local governments should be empowered in Pakistan, After the 18" amendment, the subject of local government falls under the domain of provincial governments. However, provincial governments are not keen to strengthen these local bodies because they can be used as patronage networks of central government, therefore undermining provincial governments, as has been done in the past in the Musharraf and Zia era. Nevertheless, local government bodies are a logical conclusion of devolution of power in a democracy and should be empowered. They bring tremendous benefits like greater accountability, political participation of neglected areas, and so on. Thus, local government bodies should be empowered to strengthen democracy in Pakistan, Secondly, another practical step to strengthen democracy in Pakistan is that provinces should have their own constitutions. In Pakistan, no provincial constitutions are present, in contrast with USA where all the 50 states have their own constitutions. The benefit of a provincial constitution is that it empowers the province to have its own code of conduct in dealing with matters. It prevents the power from being concentrated in the central government which is against democratic norms. Thus, provincial constitutions should be enacted to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. Thirdly, yet another step to strengthen democracy in Pakistan is the creation of bicameral legistature in provinces. In Pakistan, the provinces are unicameral, in contrast with, USA, where all the states are bicameral. The benefit of a bicameral legislature is that just like the upper house of the national legislature gives the provinces greater say in the running of the country, similarly, an upper house in the province gives greater say to different districts and divisions in the running of the province. This ensures that marginalized areas are given representation in a democracy. Hence, bicameral legislature should be created in provinces to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. Fourthly, new provinces should be created to further strengthen democracy in Pakistan. This is because creation of new provinces allows the underdeveloped areas to get developed. In Pakistan, the areas like South Punjab, Interior Sindh and Hazara have historically been underdeveloped. Giving them provincial status and increasing their development would promote a feeling of inclusivity and a greater number of people will get their fundamental rights in Pakistan. Therefore, creation of new provinces should be done to strengthen democracy in Pakistan. ‘Summing it all up, there are countless challenges to democracy in Pakistan. But despite these challenges, democracy in Pakistan is showing some ominous signs. It is high time, that practical steps specified above should be taken so that democracy is strengthened in Pakistan.culture is vital for democracy to thrive. And merely the democratic process, characterized by holding elections is not sufficient. Therefore, improving democratic ethos is another hope for democracy in Pakistan. Fourthly, public sentiment against military coups in the warld is yet another hope for democracy. This was evidenced in the failed military coup in Turkey in 2016. Previously, for example, in the 1980s, Turkish military had been successfully able to subvert the democratic process and implement military rule. However, the present global climate in the support of democracy has changed the perception of military coups. Workd has seen the fate of military leaders like Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin bringing destruction for their countries. On the other hand, the success of democracies like USA and UK is there for all to see as well. As a result, this global sentiment against military coups is a hinderance to military coups in Pakistan as well because the military feels that the public will come out in support of its democratic leaders in Pakistan as it did in Turkey. Thus, global sentiment against military coups is a hope for democracy in Pakistan. Fifthly, emergence of new political parties and politicization of youth is another hope for democracy. As discussed in the principles of democracy above, the presence of multiple political parties is a characteristic of successful democracy. The rise of a third political party in Pakistan also reduces the chances of Pakistan becoming a one-party communist state like in China. Also, the youth, which comprises 60% of Pakistani population has become politicized. This means that the elected representatives will be representatives of a larger section of population, which is supportive of democratic ethos. Hence, emergence of new political parties and politicization of youth is a hope for democracy. Sixthly, another hope for democracy is the emergence of middle class. Due to rural urban migration, a large proportion of Pakistani population is becoming part of the middle-class. Currently, it comprises 40% of the Pakistani population. This urban middle class is usually educated, and becomes part of the civil society and media. Also, they are more vigilant in terms of how the country is being governed. Therefore, the emergence of middleclass is a hope for democracy in Pakistan. Seventhly, another important hope for democracy in Pakistan is the emergence of media as the 4™ pillar of state. Usually, there are three pillars of state, the executive (Prime. ‘Minister in Pakistan), the legislative (National Assembly and Senate) and Judiciary. But the emergence of media since the 2000s has led to greater accountability for politicians, civil servants and the military. The 24-hour running tv channels of Pakistan are able to report every misgiving of the government. As a result, an informed citizenry is created which isin line with democracy. As the saying goes, “Democracy dies in darkness". Thus, the emergence of media as the 4" pillar of state is a hope for democracy. Eighthly likelihood of giving provisional provincial status to Gilgit Baltistan is another hope for democracy in Pakistan. This is because, geopolitics aside, itis a sign that new provinces can be created in Pakistan through constitutional means. And the neglected communities of Pakistan can be empowered through the democratic process. Gilgit Baltistan has long remain ‘neglected in Pakistan so consideration of giving it a provisional provincial status is a hope for democracy.