• Pildat report finds democratic institutions intact in form but constrained in practice
• Says civilian govt endorses security-centric approach as regional tensions grow

ISLAMABAD: With security taking precedence over democracy, year 2025 was characterised by consolidation and normalisation of the hybrid governance model rather than its disruption. While the democratic institutions are intact in form, their functioning has become increasingly constrained by a security-driven governance paradigm.

This has been observed in an Assessment of the Quality of Democracy in Pakistan 2025, released by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) on the last day of an eventful year. The security-driven environment, particularly since the brief but intense Pakistan-India armed conflict in May 2025, has further entrenched the security establishment’s influence over all matters, including democratic institutions and governance in Pakistan.

This “hybrid” model has the full endorsement of the civilian government, which inc­reasingly views democracy through the lens of state survival. Regional security de­­vel­opments, including tensions with India and Afghanistan, alongside persistent inte­rnal insurgencies and intense political pola­ri­sa­tion, have all contributed to Pakistan’s reversion to becoming a security-centric state.

Pildat notes that rather than strengthening civilian institutions, the role of “hybrid” entities such as the SIFC continued to expand, which operate outside conventional ministerial and parliamentary oversight structures.

At the same time, the appointment of serving and retired military officers to civilian administrative posts, including the appointment of a serving major general to a key interior ministry position in August 2025, also blur the boundary between civilian governance and security institutions.

The Pildat assessment highlights that 2025 marked the institutionalisation of a hybrid governance model in which democratic institutions operate within parameters increasingly defined by security threats and priorities as they now override democratic norms and principles.

27th Amendment

Highlighting some key institutional developments during 2025, Pildat report says the parliament passed the consequential 27th Constitutional Amendment with limited debate and consensus. It observed that parliamentary representativeness and oversight were also weakened by continuing vacancies in the offices of Leader of the Opposition in both houses. Executive authority remained formally civilian but substantively constrained. The prime minister and defence minister’s statements regarding governing in collaboration with the establishment exemplified the formalisation of the hybrid model.

Judiciary experienced significant structural changes during 2025 as the constitutional amendment created a new Federal Constitutional Court, continued operation of military courts for civilians as well as high-profile accountability proceedings conduc­ted under exceptional conditions collecti­vely raised concerns regarding due process.

The security establishment’s role in natio­­nal decision-making became even more pro­m­­inent after major terrorist incidents, continued instability along the western border, and the India-Pakistan confrontation in 2025.

Restructuring

This was reflected in the restructuring of the military command through constitutional amendment, the elevation of the chief of army staff (COAS) to the rank of field marshal and increasing commentary by representatives of security institutions on governance and political issues.

The COAS was formally notified to the ad­­ditional role of chief of defence forces (CDF) in December 2025. Later, his term as COAS-cum-CDF was extended till December 2030, with the possibility of another extension till 2035.

In practice, the security sector operated with limited parliamentary oversight in 2025. The civilian government openly embraced a hybrid governance model, publicly endorsing joint civilian-military decision-making. By late 2025, the military establishment was also increasingly vocal in commenting on governance failures.

In November, the DG ISPR described lack of governance in certain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as partially responsible for resurgence of terror attacks. A month earlier, the DG ISPR had warned against bringing in “anti-state” political leadership in KP. This increasingly open participation in governance and political discourse also reflected formalisation of the hybrid model.

This hybrid model was reflected in the prominent role of the field marshal in both governance and diplomacy. He was present at events such as the Mineral Investment Forum 2025 in April and held exclusive meetings with various foreign dignitaries — including US President Trump in June, whom he then again met with the prime minister by his side in September 2025.

It referred to the court martial and sentencing to 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment of former DG of ISI, retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, saying it marked an unprecedented accountability action within the security establishment.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2026