Pakistan has been classified as “partly free” in a recent global assessment of political rights and civil liberties, marking a three-point decline from the previous year. The findings were released in the annual report by Freedom House, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that monitors democracy and freedom worldwide. The report highlights a broader trend of declining global freedom for the 19th consecutive year in 2024.
According to the report, 60 countries experienced a deterioration in political rights and civil liberties, while only 34 saw improvements. Key factors contributing to the decline included election-related violence, repression of political opponents, ongoing armed conflicts, and the spread of authoritarian practices. Pakistan was among the nations where these issues were particularly pronounced, leading to its downgrade in the index.
The report also noted that Pakistan is among the countries with the largest 10-year declines in freedom, having dropped by 10 points over the past decade. This places it alongside nations such as Nicaragua, Tunisia, and El Salvador, which have seen significant erosion of democratic norms and freedoms.
Despite the global decline, there were some positive developments in South Asia. Bhutan was elevated to the status of “free,” becoming the only country in the region to achieve this classification. Senegal also saw improvements, with the opposition triumphing after the outgoing president’s attempt to delay elections was thwarted. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka made notable gains, though they remained in the “partly free” category. In Bangladesh, long-time leader Sheikh Hasina fled amid a revolt, while Sri Lanka elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake on an anti-corruption platform, breaking the dominance of the two major political parties.
Indian-administered Kashmir saw the largest score improvement in the index, following its first elections since New Delhi revoked the region’s special status in 2019. However, India as a whole faced further deterioration, with Freedom House citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to influence judicial appointments as a contributing factor. India was downgraded from “free” to “partly free” in 2021.
Yana Gorokhovskaia, co-author of the report, emphasized that 2024 was a particularly volatile year due to the high number of elections worldwide. “The big picture is that this was another year of the same trajectory of a global decline in freedom, but because of all the elections, it was more dynamic than previous years,” she said. She also noted that while some countries saw immediate improvements in civil liberties, achieving gains in political representation would take longer.
In the Middle East, Jordan was upgraded from “not free” to “partly free” due to reforms that allowed more competitive elections. Conversely, four countries—Kuwait, Niger, Tanzania, and Thailand—were downgraded from “partly free” to “not free.” Thailand’s downgrade followed the disbanding of the party that won the most votes in elections and the dismissal of the prime minister after an ethics complaint backed by the military.
Tunisia, El Salvador, and Haiti also experienced steep declines in freedom. Finland was the only country to receive a perfect score of 100, with New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden close behind at 99.
Freedom House, founded in 1941 with bipartisan U.S. support, is independently administered but receives U.S. government funding. The organization has faced challenges, including planned layoffs after former President Donald Trump froze funds aimed at promoting democracy. The report underscores the ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy in an increasingly volatile global landscape.
