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Pakistan downgraded to ‘authoritarian regime’ after Democracy Index score falls to 3.25 | World News
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NEW DELHI: Pakistan has been demoted to an “authoritarian regime,” marking the most significant deterioration in the Asia and Australia region, according to the Democracy Index 2023 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The country, previously classified as a “hybrid regime,” has now joined the ranks of authoritarian nations. This makes it the sole Asian representative in this category, as reported by Geo News.
The EIU Democracy Index, which offers a comprehensive overview of democracy in 165 independent states and two territories, highlighted Pakistan’s noteworthy decline. Among the 28 countries included in the index from the region, 15 experienced a decline in their scores, while only eight showed improvement.
Pakistan’s score on the EIU Democracy Index plummeted by 0.88 to 3.25, resulting in an 11-place drop in the global ranking, placing the nation at 118th. The report also drew attention to interventions in the electoral process, government dysfunction and a significant reduction in the independence of the judiciary within Pakistan.
Pakistan’s democracy score in 2023 was lower than the 2006 score (3.92) when General (retired) Pervez Musharraf held a ruling position. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob from the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) called for serious introspection among all stakeholders in response to the disappointing state of affairs.
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency’s Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, said, “This is a very disappointing development as Pakistan has scored the lowest since 2017 and our category has also been downgraded from a hybrid regime’ to an authoritarian regime.”
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, lamented the regression, stating that despite 15 years of civilian rule and decentralization reforms, Pakistan has regressed to a less democratic state than during periods of formal military rule. He expressed pessimism about the trend lines, suggesting that the current pattern may persist.
(With agency inputs)
The EIU Democracy Index, which offers a comprehensive overview of democracy in 165 independent states and two territories, highlighted Pakistan’s noteworthy decline. Among the 28 countries included in the index from the region, 15 experienced a decline in their scores, while only eight showed improvement.
Pakistan’s score on the EIU Democracy Index plummeted by 0.88 to 3.25, resulting in an 11-place drop in the global ranking, placing the nation at 118th. The report also drew attention to interventions in the electoral process, government dysfunction and a significant reduction in the independence of the judiciary within Pakistan.
Pakistan’s democracy score in 2023 was lower than the 2006 score (3.92) when General (retired) Pervez Musharraf held a ruling position. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob from the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) called for serious introspection among all stakeholders in response to the disappointing state of affairs.
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency’s Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, said, “This is a very disappointing development as Pakistan has scored the lowest since 2017 and our category has also been downgraded from a hybrid regime’ to an authoritarian regime.”
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, lamented the regression, stating that despite 15 years of civilian rule and decentralization reforms, Pakistan has regressed to a less democratic state than during periods of formal military rule. He expressed pessimism about the trend lines, suggesting that the current pattern may persist.
(With agency inputs)
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