A Political Discourse Analysis of the Ordinances Issued during Imran Khan’s Regime

Abstract

The paper examines ordinances as a form of political-economic control in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government (20182022), and especially in the regime of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The study adopts a convergent parallel mixed-methods strategy, in which a discourse analysis of legislative and governance implications of ordinance-based policymaking is combined with a quantitative survey. The qualitative part will involve the content analysis of 77 ordinances issued under the PTI rule in terms of linguistics characteristics and will appraise them through the prism of the major principles of governance: accountability, transparency, rule of law, responsiveness, equity, effectiveness, and participation. Simultaneously, the quantitative branch will consist of a systematic survey of academicians, policy analysts, and civil society members, evaluating the views of the respondents regarding the validity, need, and democratic consequences of ordinances as a legislative instrument. The results indicate a complicated relationship of governance where ordinances had both functional and controversial purposes. Although some ordinances filled policy gaps that were urgent, issues to do with executive control, circumventing of parliamentary procedures, and undermining of the process of legislative deliberation were notable. A common theme in the study is the problem of executive overreach that poses serious questions about the separation of powers and the well-being of parliamentary democracy. This study helps in bridging the gap between the discourse of textual governance and empirical perceptions to add to the developing body of literature on governance and political institutionalism in Pakistan. It also proposes evidence-based suggestions to restore the balance between executive action and legislative control with particular focus on the need to enhance democratic procedures in the policy making in the future.