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Begin New Search Topic Democracy Political Geography South Asia Content Type Commentary and Analysis Publication Year within 25 Years Publication Year within 5 Years

1. The Demise of ‘Hybrid’ Democracy in Pakistan: Case of Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Arrest

Author:
Haider Kaleem
Publication Date:
06-2023
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
Following the arrest of Pakistan`s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, social unrest and civil-military tension continue to grip the country. Haider Kaleem, a development researcher and journalist in Pakistan, attributes the current democratic crisis to the longstanding practice of military intervention in the country`s political affairs. Pointing out that the general mass is not adequately represented in the political discussions, Kaleem argues that Pakistan`s democracy will remain impaired until the power to form or dismantle regimes is transferred from the military to the hands of the people.
Topic:
Democracy, Domestic Politics, Civil-Military Relations, Civil Unrest, and Imran Khan
Political Geography:
Pakistan and South Asia

2. Recent Defamation Case and Mounting State Onslaughts Against Political Opposition in India

Author:
Niranjan Sahoo
Publication Date:
05-2023
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
Niranjan Sahoo, a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), assesses the current state of political opposition in India. Highlighting the recent defamation case against the key opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Sahoo points out that the current Bharatiya Janata Party government has consistently deployed state agencies and has taken advantage of its brute majority in the lower house of Parliament to weaken and silence the opposition voice. Questioning the sustainability of this rare occasion of unity among the opposition parties over Mr. Gandhi`s disqualification, Sahoo paints a grim outlook for India’s democracy should the marginalization of opposition voices continue.
Topic:
Democracy, Domestic Politics, Narendra Modi, Opposition, and Defamation
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

3. Upcoming Elections and Political Turmoil in Pakistan

Author:
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob
Publication Date:
03-2023
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
As the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed a key provincial election due to financial and security-related issues, a potential constitutional crisis looms over the country. In light of the deepening political turmoil in Pakistan, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob explores how this crisis has developed and offers a grim outlook of holding a free and fair election this year. Mehboob argues that the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s audacious move to seek fresh elections to both the National and Provincial Assemblies have exacerbated party polarization, and Supreme Court decisions for the court cases are unlikely to be fully enforced due to such divide. Mehboob warns that prolonged political crisis may induce military intervention to restore order so that the elections could be pushed ahead.
Topic:
Elections, Democracy, Constitution, Domestic Politics, Supreme Court, and Imran Khan
Political Geography:
Pakistan and South Asia

4. Political Debacle in Pakistan Detached from People’s Life

Author:
Haider Kaleem
Publication Date:
05-2022
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
The vote of no confidence that resulted in Imran Khan`s dismissal is a significant event in Pakistan`s political and constitutional history. After PM Khan was ousted, Shehbaz Sharif took over as prime minister. Under these political conditions, Haider Kaleem, a manager of the Nigar Ahmad Research and Advocacy Fund at the South Asia Partnership ? Pakistan, states that neither the previous opposition nor the current administration appear to have a comprehensive strategy in place to rid Pakistan of the primary problems that threaten the masses. However, as Pakistan faces socio-economic crises, he argues that despite assuming victory in the elections, the new government should make efforts on various fronts to restore the system destroyed by Khan`s policies and not lose public trust.
Topic:
Elections, Democracy, Prime Minister, and Imran Khan
Political Geography:
Pakistan and South Asia

5. Sri Lanka’s Arab Spring Moment: Can Asia’s Oldest Democracy Weather the Crisis?

Author:
Niranjan Sahoo
Publication Date:
05-2022
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
Sri Lanka, Asia`s oldest democracy, faces political and economic crisis, and protests continue on the streets day after day. Niranjan Sashoo, a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, discusses the deeper structural factors and historical background behind the political and economic crisis in this issue briefing. Dr. Sahoo states that it`s hard to predict where Sri Lanka`s future democracy will go, but the long-running rule of the Rajapaksa family is likely to end as protests continue to demand the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He argues that the resignation of the pro-China Rajapaksa family is an opportunity for Sri Lanka to move away from China`s influence and deepen ties with major democracies in Asia and the West.
Topic:
Corruption, Democracy, and Populism
Political Geography:
South Asia and Sri Lanka

6. The Inadequacy of Nepal’s Democracy for Marginalized Peoples

Author:
Pradip Pariyar
Publication Date:
06-2022
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
This May, the Nepalese government released its annual budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year and carried out the second iteration of local level elections since the institution of its new constitution in 2015. In the wake of these events, Pradip Payar, Executive Chairperson of the Samata Foundation, provides an overview of the current state of human rights for minorities and marginalized populations in Nepal, addressing caste-based discrimination against the Dalit population, ongoing challenges to transitional justice for victims of the People’s War, gender-based violence against women and girls, and issues affecting the LGBTQI+ community. Pariyar concludes that, though the new constitution provided hope for an improved future for Dalits and other marginalized communities, the reality of change has been woefully inadequate.
Topic:
War, Democracy, LGBT+, Marginalization, and Dalits
Political Geography:
South Asia and Nepal

7. Strengthening the presidency, weakening democracy: A brief analysis of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka

Author:
Verite Research
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
The enactment of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka (20A), a reversal of its precedent 19A at large, is a worrisome development hinting at the potential demise of democratic values. The new constitution bolsters the power of the executive president while undermining the power of all other institutions, virtually tearing down the system of checks and balances. Verité Research, a Sri Lankan ADRN member, outlines how the enactment of 20A marks a backtracking for Sri Lanka in its road towards democracy. It asserts that not only has 20A repealed the efforts of 19A to democratize and depoliticize governance, but has also obscured the transparency of the government and eliminated its accountability.
Topic:
Elections, Democracy, Constitution, and Democratic Backsliding
Political Geography:
South Asia and Sri Lanka

8. Nepal’s Supreme Court Overturned PM K.P. Oli’s Decision to Dissolve Parliament

Author:
Pradip Pariyar
Publication Date:
04-2021
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
Change has dawned upon Nepal following the declaration of the 2015 Constitution, yet the future of its government seems bleak. Pradip Pariyar, Executive Chairperson of Samata Foundation, states that the old game of parliamentary politics is being revived in Nepal through a series of questionable events that unfolded in the Nepalese parliament over the past few months. Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s controversial recommendation to dissolve the House of Representatives was followed by strong backlash from both his faction and rival factions. Amidst the two months of uncertainty following the dissolution of the parliament, Nepali people brought their dissatisfaction to the streets, protesting against the decision. While the Supreme Court ultimately decided against the dissolution, deeming it unconstitutional, it was revealed that there was internal support for Oli’s contentious decision, including backing from Chief Justice Cholendra. Despite the expectation that Oli would resign from the post due to the trouble he brought upon the government as well as his limited capacity to handle national matters amidst the pandemic, Oli remains in power today.
Topic:
Government, Oil, Democracy, and Parliament
Political Geography:
South Asia and Nepal

9. Democratic Backsliding in India

Author:
Neelanjan Sircar
Publication Date:
05-2021
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
Once considered the most populous democracy in the world, recent developments in India show that India is set on a path to losing its title. Analyses conducted by the Freedom House and the V-Dem Institute claiming that India’s democracy has lost its integrity is not a surprise to India-watchers observant of the recent trajectory of the Indian government. In this Issue Briefing, Neelanjan Sircar, Assistant Professor at Ashoka University, looks into the demotion of India’s status in various democratic indices. An investigation into Prime Minister Modi’s BJP government shows that the execution of anti-democratic laws and practices, prevalent throughout India’s history, has increased. The sedition law and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act have been used to stifle voices of opposition against the government. Additionally, not only has the mass media been increasingly biased towards the BHP, but the government has resorted to internet (and phone data) shutdowns and harassing key opposition leaders when it senses threat. Amid such troubling developments, the author calls upon the necessity for India to refrain from using legal machinery and harassing critics of the government. If such practices continue, prospects for the restoration of democracy in India will remain bleak.
Topic:
Democracy, Narendra Modi, Democratic Backsliding, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Political Geography:
South Asia and India

10. Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act: An Anti-Minority Cudgel

Author:
Neil DeVotta
Publication Date:
06-2021
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
East Asia Institute (EAI)
Abstract:
Upon its enforcement, Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been condemned both domestically and internationally for its draconian measures. In this Issue Briefing, Neil DeVotta, Professor at Wake Forest University, claims that anti-terrorism legislation in South Asia was instituted on the basis of penal codes from the colonial era. In Sri Lanka, the PTA was designed as a mechanism to counter Tamil rebellion movements that stemmed from the community’s failed pursuit of securing a separate state of Eelam. Nonetheless, Professor DeVotta states that the PTA does more harm than good; the act has, in essence, brutalized the Tamil community and fuelled pre-existing sentiments of Islamophobia in the country. On top of that, the arbitrary enforcement of the PTA, illustrated by the detainment of key Muslim personalities, further supports prevalent claims that the PTA is imposed onto the Muslim community on unfair grounds. In this regard, the author calls for the government to scrap up the PTA for the upkeep of democracy and to mitigate anti-Muslim attitudes in Sri Lanka.
Topic:
Terrorism, Minorities, Democracy, and Legislation
Political Geography:
South Asia and Sri Lanka