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Cover Story

Yet Again!

If the government goes ahead with controversial constitutional changes, Pakistan will become a totalitarian state, silencing citizens who dare to speak up for their rights.

By Nikhat Sattar | August 2025

Of the many tragedies Pakistan has faced since its independence as a sovereign nation in 1947, none has been more serious than the games played defining its nature and form of governance. It began with the Objectives Resolution in 1949 that paved the way to declaring it an Islamic state, placing the mantle of religion on a non-living entity, and giving rise to controversies regarding the role of religion in managing the nascent nation. Subsequent governments, whether civilian or military, played havoc with its constitution, until finally, a truncated country was bestowed with the 1973 Constitution that declared Pakistan to be an Islamic Republic. Even after this, democratically minded people fought tooth and nail to resist imposed martial laws and to establish a system of governance that would be democratic, at least in form, if not in substance.

If the classical definition of democracy is anything to go by, there has never been democracy in the country. The word democracy comes from the Greek words “demos,” meaning people, and “kratos,” meaning power; so, it is the “power of the people”: a way of governing which depends on the will of the people. Three words stand out: people, power, and will. People and will there have been plenty, power none. Even so, at least the constitution declared that it would be a democratically run state with each arm of the state, the government, the judiciary, and the military, responsible for upholding the constitution in letter and spirit. The latter’s role is also to defend the country’s borders from aggression.

While the 18th Amendment was a positive milestone, providing autonomy to the provinces, successive governments have played with it to control what was rightfully within the domain of the provinces. The worst game being played now has resulted in bringing the judiciary under the control of the executive. Under the 26th Amendment, judges are placed according to the will of the parliamentarians. This amendment was passed in haste, clearly to influence the decision of the courts for the PTI leader who has remained incarcerated for nearly two years now. Any form of dissent or criticism has been criminalized under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which places strong curbs on freedom of the media. Slowly and surely, the security establishment has been brought into political decision-making, to make policies and influence important placements. In no country are the non-elected forces so visible in every walk of life, controlling businesses and seeming to be in command of economic and political decisions.


Once pliant judges were on the bench, the newly constituted Constitutional Bench overrode an earlier Supreme Court order and assigned the reserved seats that should have gone to the PTI to the ruling coalition. This gives them a good majority in parliament and provides the wherewithal to change the constitution yet again. There are concerns that the government is getting ready to propose amendments that would further give political powers to the armed forces, an act which would be seditious since it goes against the very basic principle of democracy and against Articles 243, 244, and 245 of the Constitution itself. These articles define the role of the military: the command and control of the armed forces is vested with the President and the Federal Government under Article 243. 244 requires all members of the armed forces to uphold the constitution and not engage in political activities, and 245 empowers the military to defend the country’s sovereignty and maintain law and order, particularly in times of emergency.

If the constitution is amended to give a role to the armed forces in the power structure, it is obvious that, by the very nature of the security establishment, the people’s will will not be any part of the equation. The state, which is already becoming a behemoth to exercise control over every aspect of a citizen’s life and taking away the right to freedom of speech without providing basic services such as food, water, health, sanitation, and education, will be very far removed from the people.

Pakistan’s definition will also need to change. It can no longer be a republic because, in that case, the people have supreme power through their elected representatives. The military is primarily concerned with defending the country from external threats and upholding the constitution, with civilian oversight and control over its operations and budget. The proposed changes will turn the constitution upside down.

The past two years have created an environment of fear in the country. Few voices are now heard in favour of democratic principles because state watchdogs quickly silence dissenting voices. The extent of the foray of the non-elected forces into civilian terrain is evident from various decisions and statements, ranging from the co-chairmanship of the national economic policy-making body, the takeover of thousands of acres of agricultural land for corporate farming, and even the statements that human rights activists fighting for the recovery of missing persons from Balochistan are terrorists. Recently, a judge ordered the closure of 27 YouTube channels due to their “anti-state” content.

Pakistan is becoming a fearful place to live in. If the government goes ahead with the above constitutional changes, the country will become a totalitarian, security state, silencing citizens who dare to speak up to defend their rights.

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