ISLAMABAD – Pakistan, a country of over 240 million, saw a pattern of harassment, arrests and prolonged detentions of politician, with human rights organizations expressing concerns over the crackdown.
The latest ranking shared by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said Pakistan was downgraded to an authoritarian regime while several other countries slipped into flawed democracy.
In its reports, the Economist Intelligence Unit believes there is a significant probability that PML-N and PPP will form coalition government with establishment support in coming days.
It said the recently held polls in the country were marked by vote-rigging, and political stability and security will remain tenuous.
The report forecasts modest GDP growth in FY24 as the country continues to rely on lenders on sovereign debt obligations amid persistent balance-of-payments and fiscal strains.
Economist Intelligence Unit said the upcoming government will secure another IMF package after March 2024.
The 2023 index shows a continued decline in global democracy. Only 32 countries improved their index score, while 68 saw a decline. 67 countries remained the same, indicating a global trend of oppression.
The global average index score fell to 5.23 in 2023 from 5.29, the lowest level since the report’s inception in 2006.
