http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/172 Political Science Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:16:32 GMT 2026-06-24T00:16:32Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2787 Title: Electoral Authoritarianism with Pakistani Characteristics An analysis of mandate manufacturing from the dynamics of electioneering in hybrid regimes Authors: Abdullah, Fahad Abstract: The paper attempts to explain the discomfort and reluctance of such regimes to accommodate popularly elected governments. To identify the distinct traits and procedures that characterize hybrid governance, this paper conducts a feature analysis of hybrid regime typologies such as defective democracy, electoral (competitive) authoritarian regimes, neo-authoritarianism, and hegemonic authoritarian regimes. After a survey of literature through qualitative content analysis, it is hypothesized that in multiparty hybrid systems, the decision to organize free and fair elections is significantly influenced by elite fragmentation. Adopting democratic reforms becomes a calculated move to manage internal conflict and maintain the regime's legitimacy in the context of internal power dynamics and disagreements within the ruling class. This suggests that variation in regime capacity to channel political support needs to be taken into account when examining the relationship between state capacity and electoral control under authoritarianism. Thus, it follows that elite fragmentation among important institutions—the political class, over-ambitious factions of the judiciary, military, bureaucracy, business tycoons, powerful religious clergy, and other key stakeholders— play a significant role in maintaining the inherent nature of multiparty electoral authoritarianism to manufacture mandate and resist popular opinion. Description: N/A Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2787 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2786 Title: MAKING SENSE OF PAKISTAN’S ‘PERMANENT STATE OF EMERGENCY’ THROUGH CHANAKYA’S REALPOLITIK: INSIGHTS FROM ARTHASHASTRA AND KAUTILYAN SPY STATE DYNAMICS Authors: Abdullah, Fahad Abstract: Pakistan has been in a permanent state of emergency since partition and its citizenship is devalued. This paper aims to explain this condition by exploring the enduring controversy between state morality and private morality from the dynamics of the Kautilyan spy state. To explore the complex relationships and tensions between political or state morality and private morality, first, this paper describes the hypothetical Kautilyan State and highlights its key elements through the Saptanga theory of the state. Then by sketching out the Kautilyan characteristics of a spy state, it relates it to modern statecraft practices, arguably immoral, with a focused analysis of Pakistan. Concluding this investigation, through qualitative content analysis and documentary analysis the paper argues that the inherent nature of the states is intensely determined by realpolitik as outlined in the Kautilyan spy state which generates profound challenges for the pertinency of the modern constitutional protections of the private morality—referred as the fundamental rights of the citizens. It contends in conclusion that this disputation between realpolitik (state morality) and constitutionalism (private morality) explains the permanent state of emergency that Pakistan has been in since partition. Description: N/A Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2786 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2785 Title: Conceptual and institutional asymmetries in human rights treaty implementation: European Union-Pakistan dynamics Authors: Abdullah, Fahad Abstract: This paper investigates how treaty regimes effectively improve human rights conditions in repressive States, focusing on Pakistan’s commitments to United Nations-led human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and bilateral agreements like the European Union-Pakistan Cooperation Agreement and the 2019 Strategic Engagement Plan. Despite these formal commitments, meaningful progress remains limited, with Pakistan’s failure to uphold treaty obligations potentially threatening incentives like the European Union’s (EU)’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences status. The research explores how conceptual asymmetries – philosophical and normative divergences – and institutional asymmetries – structural and procedural mismatches – between the EU and Pakistan hinder the implementation of these treaties. Using a qualitative methodology combining critical content analysis and documentary analysis, the paper adopts a deductive approach to argue that the more repressive a State is (allegedly Pakistan), the more eager it is to ratify human rights treaties for strategic benefits, yet it struggles with implementation due to deep- rooted asymmetries. Building on Oona A. Hathaway’s integrated theory of international law, this paper advances the framework by highlighting how asymmetrical actor relationships in international law regimes can transform treaties into instruments of performative compliance rather than substantive change. Description: N/A Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2785 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2753 Title: Adultery, the Ground for Dissolution of Christian Marriage in Pakistan: Intersectional Constraint to Christian Women in Pakistan Authors: Patras, Ayra Indrias; Usman, Ahmed Abstract: Divorce from a distressful and unhappy marital alliance implies emancipation from perpetual pain, abuse, agony and violence but the social stigma attached to a divorced woman casts its shadow for life in the patriarchal and paternalistic socio-cultural settings in Pakistan. Seeking a judicial redress for dissolution of marriage is a legal right that needs to be available equally to both men and women. However, Christian married couples who apply for a divorce, are left with no options except to invoke the charge of adultery under Christian Divorce Act 1869. Proving adultery as a ground for dissolution of marriage stands as an impediment entailing character assassination of the accused and narrows the application of divorce on other grounds, such as domestic violence, abandonment by husbands and cruelty. The clergy representing Christian community fully supports the ground of adultery for dissolution of Christian marriage and vehemently opposes any position that calls for inclusion of nofault divorce. Description: N/A Mon, 16 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://digitalrepository.fccollege.edu.pk/handle/123456789/2753 2020-03-16T00:00:00Z