ABSTRACT
This volume is by no means the first to attempt to solve the puzzle of why India and Pakistan wound up with such different regimes.1 Our answers all focus on similar factors: the legacy of colonial rule and the nationalist movements; the links of citizenry to government provided by political parties and leaders; the social structure, particularly ethnic divisions; and the differing external security positions. It seems that the best explanation of the current regime each country has is that it was the regime they had yesterday, and last month, and for the last thirty years. The military in Pakistan, only under the unambiguous control of civilian politicians for the first four years of Pakistan’s existence, has formed a partnership with a junior, the bureaucracy, and is now in its own self-image firmly and permanently ensconced as the guardian of Pakistan’s existence, with a right to intervene in politics, shape the constitution, and directly control some critical economic and civilsociety institutions. In India, both military and bureaucracy have stayed where they were at independence – under the rule of elected politicians, held accountable by an active electorate, and by a largely autonomous judicial system and a vigorous independent media.
