WASHINGTON, Sept 12: An independent judiciary and a national security council with clearly defined objectives can help bring stability to Pakistan, says a report released by a major Washington think-tank, Stimson Centre.

The report – by Michael Krepon and Alex Stolar – urges major contenders for leadership positions to pledge allegiance to an independent judiciary that serves as a check against corruption, disregard for the rule of law, and abuse of power by future presidents and prime ministers.

They suggest that nations that provide bilateral or multilateral assistance to Pakistan might also be asked to make pledges before Pakistan’s national elections that, if future Pakistani leaders break these pledges, economic and military assistance would be suspended.

“In order to demonstrate non-interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan, this initiative would need to come from judicial and legal bodies within the country,” the authors say.

They note that a mechanism—the National Security Council – already exists to bridge civil-military divisions.