Why the Military Rules in Pakistan

Stratfor South Asia Analyst Faisel Pervaiz examines the historical and recent reasons for the prominence of Pakistan's military in politics. For more in depth analysis on this topic, read Pakistan's Military-Democracy Complex Video Transcript What explains the military’s dominance in Pakistani politics? The military has ruled Pakistan for 33 of the country’s 68 year history, and two key reasons help explain its dominance: first, upon gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan retained 17% of colonial India’s revenue streams but inherited 33% of the military. This gave the armed forces a proportional advantage in the new government. Second, the immediate disagreement between India and Pakistan over the fate of the Muslim-majority state of Kashmir fueled a belief within some Pakistani circles that “Hindu” India was against “Muslim” Pakistan.

Together, these factors informed two beliefs that profoundly shaped Pakistan's political development — namely, that India is an existential threat, and that the military is Pakistan's greatest guardian against that threat. What is the military’s relationship with Islam? Upon gaining independence, Pakistan was comprised of diverse ethnic groups including the Pashtun, Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochis, and Bengalis. Because the military feared that representative democracy would give each of these groups autonomy and weaken the centralized authority necessary to build the growing state, it opted to construct Pakistan’s national identity upon Islam.

Later, President General Zia-ul-Haq strengthened the link between religion and the state, accepting over $3 billion in American funds to train, arm, and dispatch the mujahideen to fight in the Soviet-Afghan war in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Will Pakistan experience another coup under General Raheel Sharif? As the current Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif is the most powerful military official in a country that’s already experienced four military coups. However, the emergence of a stronger judiciary, an empowered independent media, and a more democratically-minded electorate have all restricted the space within which a publically-supported coup can occur, even as pressing security challenges and economic interests will ensure a strong role political role for the military. Additionally, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and General Raheel have struck a governing balance that helps satisfy the military’s desire for a role in the country’s foreign policy and national security, further reducing the need to pursue a coup.

https://www.stratfor.com/video/why-military-rules-pakistan