Causes of Democratic Downslide

The dominance of the Punjabi and mohajir communities and the perceived bellicosity of India have played a deterministic role in the shaping of Pakistan. The elevation of national security as a topmost state concern and the growing centralisation of powers by a federal government has however led to a growing subordination of parliamentary procedures and the alienation of the smaller provinces. The latest constitutional reforms and a new government only heighten the inherent conflicts that democracy in Pakistan faces.