Pakistani political parties and the democratic deficit (Niaz Murtaza, East Asia Forum)

Unlike India and Sri Lanka’s uninterrupted commitment to democracy since independence, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have as yet failed to attain democratic consolidation. Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has experienced democracy for only about 28 years. The lack of internal democracy within Pakistani political parties has been both a cause and an outcome of Pakistan’s chequered democratic track-record. This weakness has made it easier for unelected institutions like the military to derail democracy. In turn, this prolonged derailment has shielded parties from the public pressures for improvement that regular elections impose on them.

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/04/20/pakistani-political-parties-and-the-democratic-deficit/