Freedo­m in the world descri­bes 2017 as year in which democr­acy faced seriou­s crisis­Pakistan completes a decade as a “partly free” nation in Freedom House’s annual report measuring the rise and fall of global democracy. Where the report describes 2017 as a year in which democracy faced a serious crisis, Islamabad maintains its rating of 4.5 at freedom with four in political rights and five in civil liberties – scoring 43 out of 100. It is pertinent to note, however, that Press and Net freedom have been concluded as “not free”. “71 countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties, with only 35 registering gains.”The year 2017 also marked the 12th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. The number of countries designated as ‘Free’ stands at 88, “Partly Free” at 58 and 49 countries have been deemed “Not Free”.

Source: The Express Tribune January 24, 2018 12:45 UTC