It is a good time to talk about democracy. Some may even argue that it is the time to talk about democracy. In Pakistan’s context, this conversation has always been relevant, timely and crucial. This week, we take a look at democracy as shaped through political discourse and electoral processes in the current times.

As we step into a new year, and hope for a better and more democratic society, we take a retrospective look at the country’s political history. If anything stands out in Pakistan’s recent political history, it is continuity of democracy, the political and the electoral process in the country. That in itself, however, is not indicative of the health of the democratic system. But given the political turbulence our country has witnessed previously, the trend is worth noting. Perhaps it permits cautious optimism. One of our contributors looks at the last two decades of political history and how that has shaped and restructured the political ecosystem.

Our Special Report also looks at some of the debates that recently remained at the heart of political discourse. From the debate surrounding overseas Pakistanis’ right to vote to the recent and upcoming local government elections and the proposed laws that will govern the system in the near future, we look at different aspects of the current political scenario.

The past few years have also witnessed an ever-increasing tolerance, space and a contested public popularity of right-wing religious parties that have recently made inroads in the country’s political discourse and system. While the authenticity of the popularity will be gauged by how these parties fare in the upcoming local and later, the general elections, the phenomenon has deeply intrigued keen political observers.

With all eyes now set on the next general elections, the coming days are bound to be interesting.