In late July and early August this year, Pakistan's outgoing parliament passed two amendments that have significantly altered the political landscape in favour of the military establishment. The Army Act (Amendment Bill) 2023 and the Official Secrets Act (Amendment Bill) 2023 reflect, more than anything else, the very consistent decline in Pakistan's democratic politics since the end of Pervez Musharraf's regime in 2008. Both acts give primacy to the Pakistani military leadership and its security agencies in the development of the economy and the maintenance of law and order. More importantly, these laws have created jurisdiction for the military to operate at both the federal and provincial levels of the polity. This is likely to have serious implications for Pakistan's already precarious federation, which is facing multiple challenges including a separatist movement in Balochistan.
For instance, Section 175-E of the Army Act says, "The Pakistan Army may, upon direction or with the concurrence of relevant authorities of the appropriate government [federal and provincial] in the prescribed manner, directly or indirectly, carry out activities related to, inter alia, national development and advancement of national or strategic interest."
On the surface, the act links the army's political and economic activities with directions received from the "appropriate" governments. But the Pakistan Army, with its long history of direct and indirect involvement in politics and the economy and influence within political parties, is now in a position where manufacturing these "directions" or eliciting "concurrence" will hardly be a problem.
Moreover, the latest version of the Official Secrets Act empowers security agencies with highly questionable powers to apprehend any person or entity deemed an "enemy". In many ways, these powers are tantamount to legalising enforced disappearances – a burning issue in Balochistan for almost two decades now, and more recently a serious concern in other provinces as well. If regional governments do not toe the army's line, the latter has amassed enough power to target the political leadership as well.