Pakistan Army and Democracy Crisis — A Point of No Return?

The former Supreme Court judge says Pakistan risks long-term instability if the army continues silencing dissent and curbing democratic rights.

THE FIERY AND unusually aggressive press conference by Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, DG ISPR, on 5 December 2025 has raised profound concerns about the shrinking space for democratic freedoms in Pakistan.

The tone of the briefing suggested not merely a defence of state policy, but a hardening stance against even the limited dissent that survives in the country.

As in all societies, freedom functions as a safety valve. When even nominal liberties are curtailed, frustration does not disappear; it simply retreats underground, where it becomes more unpredictable and potentially explosive.

What Pakistan’s military leadership—particularly Field Marshal Asim Munir—must recognize is that freedom does not weaken a state; it stabilises it. By suppressing criticism and widening the gap between the rulers and the ruled, institutions risk creating the very instability they seek to avoid.

History offers countless reminders that no authority, however powerful, can indefinitely insulate itself from the mood of its people.

When a Nation Is Silenced, Pressure Builds Below the Surface

Today, many ordinary Pakistanis are frightened, cautious, and pessimistic. The fear of arbitrary detention has forced citizens, journalists, activists, and even political workers into a state of silence. Such despondency creates the illusion that repression has succeeded.

Yet, the collective memory of nations shows that when freedoms are crushed, resistance eventually emerges in new and unexpected forms.

As the oft-quoted adage goes, “Whenever there is oppression, there is resistance.” No population remains passive forever, and no institution—not even an army—can maintain long-term order solely through coercion.

Historical parallels reinforce this truth. When the British Parliament passed the “Intolerable Acts” in 1774, the American colonists saw no option but to organise politically and militarily for their freedom.

France in 1789 and Russia in 1917 witnessed similar implosions, despite having strong, well-armed regimes. These examples are not predictions for Pakistan; rather, they illustrate the universal principle that when governance becomes synonymous with repression, legitimacy decays and the social fabric becomes brittle.

Akbar Allahabadi captured this shift poetically:

“Khabar deti hai tehreek-e-hawa tabdeel-e-mausam ki;
Khilenge aur hi gul, zamzame bulbul ke kam honge.”

The winds often change quietly, long before anyone hears the first signs of a new season.

Pakistan’s own demographics present a striking contrast. The Pakistan Army has roughly 1.2 million personnel, including reservists, whereas the nation holds over 240 million people.

History repeatedly demonstrates that no force—no matter how disciplined or well-equipped—can sustain order without the cooperation, consent, or confidence of the people it governs.

The Lesson Pakistan’s Leaders Cannot Ignore

The great Indian nationalist Bal Gangadhar Tilak once warned, during British rule, that when rulers turn a nation into a prison, the people eventually express their discontent in ways that authorities cannot foresee or control. His observation was not a justification of violence but a caution to governments that repression inevitably produces consequences.

Pakistan today stands at a similar juncture. Stability cannot be secured through intimidation, nor can the future of a nation be safeguarded by silencing the very citizens whose trust forms the bedrock of national unity.

If Pakistan is to reclaim democratic dignity, restore economic confidence, and rebuild public trust, its leadership must embrace dialogue, constitutional rule, and genuine space for dissent.

Silencing critics may offer short-term quiet, but it leads inevitably to long-term instability. A secure and prosperous Pakistan requires openness, accountability, and respect for its people.

Also Read: Unmasking the Pakistan Army: From Protector to Oppressor

The path ahead is clear: nations remain strongest when they listen to their citizens, not when they silence them.

My warning is not a threat, nor a prophecy of turmoil, but a reminder—drawn from history and grounded in experience—that suppressing democratic freedoms carries consequences that no state can ultimately escape.

Pakistan’s stability, dignity, and future will depend not on the force it can deploy, but on the trust it can rebuild with its own people.
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