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Dr Yasmine Rashid. PHOTO: APPLICATION/FILE
LAHORE:
Pakistan’s democratic controls were systematically weakened between 2022 and 2025 by legal, electoral and constitutional restrictions, according to a report co-authored by imprisoned senior PTI leader Dr. Yasmin Rashid.
Titled From Crackdown to Crisis, the study, co-authored with researcher Shayan Bashir, examines political and legal developments since April 2022 and argues that what began as regular enforcement of the law against protests has transformed into a sustained campaign of political containment.
According to the authors, the first phase was marked by mass arrests, preventive detentions and overlapping criminal cases that kept political workers and leaders entangled in protracted legal proceedings, limiting their political activity.
Although courts have remained functional, the report indicates that the judicial process increasingly functions as a pressure mechanism rather than impartial adjudication.
The second phase took place around the 2024 general election, where restrictions on candidate eligibility, campaign activities, and election day communication would have limited political competition.
Although elections were held, the authors question whether the process met constitutional standards of fairness and transparency.
During the third phase, constitutional amendments and court decisions would have changed the balance of power between institutions.
The report claims that judicial independence has been reduced and that anti-terrorism court convictions linked to the May 9 unrest led to the disqualification of several opposition lawmakers, including opposition leaders in key legislatures, thereby reshaping the parliamentary composition.
The authors conclude that democratic institutions remain intact in form but weakened in their functioning, warning that stability cannot be sustainable without credible elections, judicial oversight, and meaningful opposition participation.
