The Political Instability and Its Impact on Economic Development in Pakistan: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Historically, political instability hampered economies and institutions from achieving significant progress in most states, including post-colonial countries like Pakistan. The paper attempts to examine directionally complementary political stability versus economic growth comprehensively and illuminates the destabilizing effects of inconsistent governance, contradictory policy-making, and relentless shifting regimes' regime have on development trends in the long term, it has been conceived here as being towards often changed government or often changes by constituent as well as un-constituent modes. Thus, political instability has serious consequences for the formulation and implementation of effective economic development policies. The case of Pakistan vaguely illustrates the intensities of such phenomena. In the past, their erstwhile relationship with the British government dates back to the moment the country was formed as a governmental system, which did not flow smoothly due to interruptions caused by sudden governmental breaks, military coups, policy failures, social unrest, and economic disruptions. This study, therefore, not only traces the political history of Pakistan but also juxtaposes it with the country's economic development to explore the association between stable governance and consistent economic performance. Additionally, it conducts a comparative analysis with developing countries in Africa to demonstrate the global relevance of this issue and assess the far-reaching implications of political instability across developing countries. It will be able to delineate the issues and, even more importantly, offer practical solutions for creating political stability as a condition precedent to sustainable economic development. The findings underscore the need to strengthen institutions, establish coherence in policies, promote justice, and ensure accountability, while also fostering an inclusive political culture as prerequisites for sustainable development. It is only through these beacons in countries like Pakistan that they can hope to free themselves from the bondage of instability and underdevelopment, which has become synonymous and characteristic of their post-independence histories.