Pakistan’s 2013 general election marked the country’s first civilian transfer of power following the completion of an elected government’s full term, notes the Carnegie Endowment. However, questions linger over the country’s democratic durability as next year’s election will occur against a challenging backdrop. Extremist violence, civil-military tensions, low-intensity conflict with India, and a fragile economy are all cause for concern.
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, one of Pakistan’s leading analysts of political, legislative, and electoral affairs, will discuss how these challenges affect the prospects for a second peaceful transition to power. He will also share key insights into the current state of democracy and governance in Pakistan. Carnegie’s Milan Vaishnav will moderate.
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob is the president and founder of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT – a member of the National Endowment for Democracy’s Network of Democracy Research Institutes). Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow in the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his primary research focus is the political economy of India.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Massachusetts Ave., Washington, DC. January 12, 2017. 4:00 PM — 5:15 PM EST RSVP
The state of Parliament and Parliamentary reforms in Pakistan will be addressed by Mehboob at a forthcoming Wilson Center conference examining Pakistan’s civilian institutions and the governance reform efforts that aim to strengthen them. RSVP
