ABSTRACT
What are the lessons to be learnt from an analysis of the military leadership’s perception1 of its role in the politics of the state? Research into military affairs is difficult under most conditions and therefore requires the researcher to attend to ‘perception of “politics” and their relationship to intramilitary values and beliefs.’2 This is so because most ‘clearly lacking have been analyses from within the military’s perspective’ and similarly absent are the voices of ‘active-duty generals and admirals.’3 In this chapter, then, the military also ‘speaks’ for itself. An examination of the armed force’s premier training institution, the National Defence College, and internal publications such as The Green Book, allows us to capture the essence of the leadership’s aspirations. By drawing on this data for analysing the perceptions of the Pakistani military, we argue that the armed forces are unlikely to encourage the establishment of viable civilian political institutions in the country. Through various constitutional and administrative measures, the military has continued the penetration of the civilian sphere and has further consolidated its control over the state institutions. This chapter demonstrates that, in addition to its influence over political developments in Pakistan, the military has significant economic interests in sectors such as power generation, engineering and construction among others. Arguably, the military has come to identify itself with the state, rather than see itself as just one of the key components of a constitutional state.
