This ranking of Pakistan being third-worst in law and order in the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index does reflect the deep-seated maladies in governance, security, and institutional integrity. Ranked above only Mali and Nigeria, the scores clearly show that the Pakistan government continues to battle on multiple fronts to regain its ability to control crime and maintain the safety against the incidence of armed conflict or civil violence.

This dismal situation reveals a long period of failure to implement necessary reforms on insurgency, political interference in policing, and effective governance, which have taken the toll of the country’s stability. Pakistan has ranked the lowest as the third in a global survey of 142 countries that ranked nations according to a new report by World Justice Project’s annual WJP Rule of Law Index survey, which examines a total of eight factors. The eight factors examined included constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.

In the 2024 report, Pakistan ranked at number 140 in Order and Security, measuring the crime control, safety from armed conflicts, and the use of violence in resolving civil disputes. Mali and Nigeria are worse than this category. Pakistan ranks 103rd on constraints on government powers, 120th on corruption, 106th on open government, 125th on fundamental rights, 127th on regulatory enforcement, 128th on civil justice, and 98th on criminal justice. It is also at the lowest rank among South Asian nations along with Afghanistan.

The world continues to observe a seventh successive decline of global respect for the rule of law. Consequently, many countries are seeing downfalls in rankings because of executive overreach, a weakening of human rights protection, and faltering systems of justice incapable of holding up to meeting people’s needs. And at the top of these high-income countries, we have Denmark, followed closely by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany.

In the annual survey last year, the rule of law deteriorated in 57 percent of the countries concerned; the report suggests the rate of decline is slowing down and that some steps were made in a few aspects. The percentage of countries which had the third straight deterioration in the rule of law decreased for the third year running. A majority of the countries now experienced an improvement in the factor of Absence of Corruption; indeed, for the first time since 2016, it was noted to have increased by a significant percentage of 59. Most countries also marked their gains in criminal justice systems.

While backsliding in civil justice has slowed since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, entrenched problems in the delivery of timely, independent civil justice remain. Fundamental rights protections declined during 2016-2024 in 81% of countries, and 77% saw governmental checks and balances weaken, including through weakened legislatures, courts, civil society, and the press. It also reported that in the 2024 elections, ruling parties persisted in power in 13 of 15 countries. In countries such as Brazil and Poland, which posted some of the biggest drops in rule of law since 2016, newly elected governments signaled a changing tide toward reform.

The government needs to provide a reason for Pakistan’s alarming decline to the third-lowest ranking among 142 countries in law and order. It is no surprise that such a low ranking comes at a time when persistent insurgencies and secessionist movements are destabilizing the country and security forces are finding it difficult to maintain control. The legacy of past crises, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) insurgency that claimed over 80,000 innocent lives, shows that crucial lessons have yet to be learned.

Beyond border skirmishes, crime has risen disturbingly across the country, which the over-politicized police cannot keep in check. Problems have deepened with time and placed Pakistan either at or near the bottom of the list for law and order. However, no sense of crisis or any clear plan of action has been felt in Islamabad. Meanwhile, more and more citizens lose faith in political parties that seem to exploit democratic institutions for personal and partisan advantage at the expense of the public interest. The report shows Pakistan has done poorly in all the eight areas evaluated by WJP: constraints on government powers (103), corruption (120), open government (106), fundamental rights (125), regulatory enforcement (127), civil justice (128), and criminal justice (98). Among six South Asian countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan have ranked the lowest.

This report should be an eye-opener for the government and other top echelons. Still, if history is any indicator, it will evoke no more than a few platitude sentences about the urgency of change before things become normal once again. The parties first speak of the need for reform during election time, but once the entire complexion of this structural issue comes out in public, the promises disappear in the following election cycle.

Obviously, this cycle cannot continue. Pakistan is deep in acute crisis over security, its economy in decline, crime rates soaring, and the justice system failing the average citizen. The nation also boasts some of the most daunting statistics in the world for population growth, poverty, and literacy. So, monumental reforms and commitment at all levels of the state system are necessary.

Many doubt, though, if such commitment would be forthcoming from a political elite too busy with power perks. It is such lack of commitment that exacerbated the problems identified in the WJP report over time. All one can do is hope that somehow in the future, things might be different from the past.

The worsening law and order situation in Pakistan, evident in its WJP ranking, is a clarion call for sweeping reforms in security, justice, and government institutions. With the rising crime rate, economic instability, and lack of accessible justice for ordinary citizens, it is high time for the political will and coordination efforts among all pillars of the state. Yet, with an elite political class seemingly more obsessed with power than reform, the way forward remains uncertain. Only through holistic commitment to institutional improvement will Pakistan hope to see these troubling trends reversed and a secure, just, and stable society emerge.