Why Pakistan's Democracy Failed: An Analysis of Political, Social, and Economic Challenges

Abstract

Pakistan remains a prisoner of its own constitutional democracy as it continues to face obstacles towards formulating a stable and functional democracy. This paper attempts to discuss and analyze the numerous factors that are responsible for the collapse of democracy, partitioning based on Pakistan's history, politics, institutions, and socio- economics. To start with, the author elaborates the account of history such as the genesis of Pakistan as well as the active political role of the army which has undermined self-governance and democracy as a whole. Moreover, the author studies the feebleness of political parties and the absence of powerful political system that translates into bad governance, corruption, and poor public sector management. The rest of the paper tries to capture the politics and social life of Pakistan with the help of religion and religious extremism and the consequences that have resulted in deepening the political chasm and instability within Pakistan. Korean style economic development of misallocation of resources, wealth gap, and foreign aid dependency has deepened the wounds of democracy. The growing influence of foreign actors in Pakistan's domestic politics also adds another layer of complexity. Besides the formal structures of democracy, democratic practice in Pakistan is constantly deteriorating due to the prevalence of weakness of institutions, corruption, militarization, and fragmentation of the society to name a few. This research shows the intricacies of Pakistan's democratic timeline and sheds light on the systemic reforms that can enhance democratic governance in the country in the years to come.