Pakistan's democracy is facing a serious setback as it's now labeled an "Authoritarian Regime" with a low index score of 3.25. This marks a significant decline in the country's democratic standing which was also portrayed in the recent general elections.
The Democracy Index has published its latest report ranking countries across the world in terms of democracy. Pakistan has been ranked among the lowest in Asia as close to 28 countries were evaluated in the world's biggest continent.
The recent general election in Pakistan is an example of why the South Asian nation has been ranked so poorly. Accusations of the military meddling in Pakistan elections is not a new phenomenon however, this time around, video proofs were produced where ballot boxes were stuffed.
Videos of violence throughout the nation before, during, and after elections have gone viral. The state of democracy in Pakistan has been ranked even lower than during the military rule back in 2009 by General Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan has been constantly slipping down the index for a couple of years.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan's score plummeted by 0.88 to 3.25, resulting in an 11-place drop. The country is now ranked at an appalling 118th position in the Democracy Index. Moreover, the country is now classified as an authoritarian regime, placing it with notorious dictatorships throughout the world.
India which is the world's largest democracy has been classified as a ‘flawed democracy’ by the index. It has gained a rank of 41 in the 165 countries’ index with a score of 7.18. China plummeted to new lower levels as it got a score of 2.12 and a placement of 148th rank in the world.