Pakistan: A Significant Constitutional Amendment

The Pakistani parliament has unanimously approved an amendment to the constitution that re-establishes a parliamentary form of government rather than a presidential system. The move is being celebrated within the country as a watershed event in terms of rectifying the civil-military imbalance that has plagued the country for most of its existence. Though a significantly divided legislature reaching consensus on restoring the parliamentary form of government does indeed represent an important achievement, this does not mean Pakistan has put instability behind it.