Session 8 - Legitimacy of the state in Pakistan

The legitimacy of the state is very shaky in Pakistan, especially during times of civilian rule, this I believe is due to frequent bouts of military rule. Military rule causes an entrenchment of military personnel into the bureaucracy and other apparatus of the state, weakening and discrediting civilians from enforcing the law of the land, this I believe is the reason why civilian govts face a legitimacy crises in Pakistan. Which is manifested by a lack of will to enforce necessary measures by the state, and instead focus on popular demands.

A big manifestation of the lack of a constructive political culture in Pakistan are the frequent illegal attempts to topple the govt, this phenomenon has not only been witnessed in the current period of civilian rule but also in the previous periods. Political parties have been all too willing to support undemocratic means, by supporting the military, to topple political rivals.

In the case of legitimate power, I believe charismatic authority eventually transforms itself into traditional authority, in order to survive. A big example of this is the PPP, which continues to dominate Sindh, despite the death of its founding member and the subsequent heir.  People vote for the PPP because they have always done so and thus it has become a tradition.  This traditional authority is unlikely to vanish in the absence of a new charismatic leader, thus the PPP need not worry about its vote bank.