Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan: The Case of the Recent Military Intervention (October 12, 1999) and Its Implications for Pakistan's Security Milieu
Last updated: July 31, 2008
Author
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Shakoor Khakwani
Assistant Professor
Institute of Management Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University
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ACDIS Occasional Paper series
May 2003
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Summary
The dynamics of South Asian security politics cannot be understood well without comprehending the role of various forces and institutions at the domestic level. Civil and military institutions and their interaction in a body politic have a direct bearing on a country’s national security policies. This study examines the case of the October 12, 1999 military intervention in politics in Pakistan. After discussing the theoretical framework and issues in civil-military relations, the operative factors that led to the military intervention are explored, and comparative analyses vis-à-vis previous military regimes are offered. This discussion also serves to examine whether the concept of civilian supremacy as accepted in the developed states is relevant and valid in the case of a developing country like Pakistan. An additional aim of this paper is to identify differences in foreign policy implications, if any, between the civilian and military regimes, before and after the takeovers.
