The State of Pakistan was created under the label of a federation with its division of powers between the federal and provincial governments. However, over the years, Pakistan has been becoming more centralised in its powers and this has resulted in the strengthening of particular institutions.
The military of Pakistan is one such institution that has historically been powerful. This was a conscious decision made by the early governments to protect the new state against the enemy- India. However, granting this unnecessary power to the institution of military had enabled them to interfere in politics bluntly. This has been apparent in the numerous military coups and the indirect involvement of the Pakistan Army in the political arena of Pakistan.
The State of Pakistan has seen the systematic repression and use of force and violence by the military regimes in the case of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and the existing provinces of Pakistan. Frequent military operations have been undertaken where the 'enemy' is defined by the military which enables the military to extinguish any perceived threat against them and their authority.
This strategic upper hand enjoyed by the Pakistani military makes them powerful contenders in the politics of Pakistan and their unnecessary use of force and violence has indications of Pakistan towards a military regime.
2 comments:
I agree with your point that military has always been in power in Pakistan and has used this authority to benefit itself. We have previously seen the involvement of military in political decisions but don't you think that at certain times it is the best thing to do? For example, recently the military ordered the PTI leader, Imran Khan, to vacate the area during the dharna because it was hampering the daily activities of the citizens. Nevertheless, there should be some restriction to the level of power the military can exercise in political activities.
I do agree with your point of Pakistan being inclined towards being a military regime with its frequent military coups and implicit influence on politics. However, it has to perform certain functions (as mentioned by Laila) in order to ensure that the public sees it as a useful institution. On the other hand, Pakistan also portrays many features of an Islamic Regime. Therefore there is ambiguity while classifying regimes.
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