Pakistan 129th out of 142 countries in Rule of Law index

ISLAMABAD: World Justice Project’s Rule of Law index for the year 2024 shows Pakistan to have slightly improved as compared to 2023 but the country is still extremely poor in the areas of civil and criminal justice, fundamental rights, open government, corruption, regulatory enforcement and order and security.

While the top judges of the country have been seen fighting like never before, the WJP’s Rule of Law Index is a serious charge sheet for the country’s justice system as well as the governance.

The report shows Pakistan’s global ranking at number 129 out of a total of 142 countries assessed. In 2023, Pakistan’s rank in the Rule of law index was 130th out of 142 countries. The 2024 WJP Rule of Law Index shows Pakistan to have improved by one number in global ranking but in the region it remained 5th out of six countries assessed. Pakistan’s overall Rule of Law score from 2015 to 2024 shows that Islamabad has been improving from 2015 to 2018 than it shows a continuous fall from 2019 to 2023. The year 2024, however, shows improvement in Rule of Law after five years of negative performance.

The factors that are considered to determine Rule of Law performance of any country include constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

In the area of criminal justice, Pakistan’s global rank in 2024 is 98th out of 142 countries whereas in the region it stands at number four out of six countries. In provision of civil justice, Pakistan’s global position is 128th whereas in the region it stands at number four.

In the area of regulatory enforcement, Pakistan’s global position is 127th and in the region it is in number five. Pakistan is the third worst among 142 countries in order and security as its global position is 140th out of 142 countries. In the region, Pakistan is the worst in the area of order and security as it is assessed 6th out of six regional countries.

In the field of fundamental rights, Pakistan’s global position in 2024 Rule of Law index is 125th out of 142 countries. In the region, the country’s stands at number four. Regarding open government, Pakistan is assessed 106th in the global ranking whereas it is number four in the region.

About the absence of corruption, the Rule of Law 2024 report shows Pakistan at number 124 out of 142 countries. In the region, it ranks at 5th position out of the total six. Regarding constraints of government powers, the report assesses Pakistan at 103 in the global ranking and at 4th position in the region.