Pakistan Army

As the civilian political space shrinks and the capacity of the state gets hobbled by political dissension and internal resistance from forces armed with an alternate blueprint for action, Pakistan is likely to rely more on its anti-India stance to build national unity, seeking especially to suck in the militant religious groups into its orbit.

• Ashok K. Behuria
• December 03, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The government and the military in Pakistan appear quite determined to either silence or censor media by all means. This may prove counter-productive since such restrictions can fuel further criticism, especially at a time when the government seems unable to fulfil its promises and meet the expectations of the people.

• Nazir Ahmad Mir
• January 17, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Why is the Pakistan military pushing for Military Courts when the country already has a fairly robust Anti Terrorism Act together with designated Anti Terrorism Courts set up specifically to try terrorism related offences?

• Arun Sahgal
• January 14, 2015
• IDSA Comments

The army has quite patiently allowed Imran and Qadri to carry on with their protests and create a political condition unfavourable enough for Nawaz Sharif to approach the army for help. Thus like in 1993, Nawaz is feeling the heat even if the opposition is not united in their effort to dislodge his government.

• Yaqoob-ul-Hassan
• August 08, 2014
• IDSA Comments

A lot has being made of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif taking his time to select the next army chief and signalling civilian supremacy by picking the number three in the seniority list. Whether Gen Raheel Sharif will remain subservient to civilian authority because ‘Pakistan has changed’ and ‘democracy is here to stay’ remains to be seen.

• Sushant Sareen
• December 03, 2013
• IDSA Comments

India will need to factor the growing PLA presence in and around Pakistan and be prepared to engage an increasingly confident Pakistan propped by Chinese support and driven by Chinese interests in the region.

• Mandip Singh
• January 17, 2012
• IDSA Comments

If the army is not in favour of a coup, attempts could be made to defuse the tension through a compromise between the army and the government, with some leadership change acting as a face-saver.

• Arvind Gupta
• January 16, 2012
• IDSA Comments

If the army is not in favour of a coup, attempts could be made to defuse the tension through a compromise between the army and the government, with some leadership change acting as a face-saver.

• Arvind Gupta
• January 16, 2012
• IDSA Comments

The Pakistan Army’s hold on the power structure has weakened due to the deterioration in its relationship with the US military, changes in the social complexion and the penetration of jehadi influence.

• P. K. Upadhyay
• January 13, 2012
• IDSA Comments

Since the creation of Pakistan, the state has been bedevilled by one crisis after another. Over the last six decades, Pakistan has remained consistently dependant on its armed forces to create a nation state from an entity divided by ethnic, religious and social fault lines. Today, the fissures which divide the country have deepened and Pakistan now is on the verge of tearing itself apart.

• Dhruv C Katoch
• October 2011
• Journal of Defence Studies