INSTITUTIONAL DECAY AND DEMOCRATIC EROSION IN A DELEGATIVE DEMOCRACY

DECONSTRUCTING POLITICAL STABILITY IN PAKISTAN, 2018–2025

Abstract

The research investigates Pakistan's institutional collapse and democratic breakdown through Guillermo O’Donnell's (1994) delegative democracy theory during 2018-2025. The Imran Khan administration which ruled from 2018 to 2022 followed by the PDM coalition that governed from 2022 to 2023 and the difficult period following the 2024 election represent a critical juncture for Pakistan's democratic progress. The research shows that political instability developed through a feedback system which started with institutional failure which caused democratic breakdown which then destroyed institutional trust from the public. The research employs qualitative document analysis together with critical discourse analysis to demonstrate how three vital democratic institutions lost their authority which resulted in Pakistan's democratic system depending on delegation instead of citizen involvement. The research determines Pakistan's position through its analysis of hybrid regimes according to Adeney (2017) and judicial dual-survivalism theory from Abbas & Patro (2024). The research indicates that democratic backsliding requires more than electoral modifications because it needs a full transformation of military-civilian relations and institutional protection systems and increased citizen participation in political activities.