ABSTRACT
Pakistan’s debut transition in 2013 from one civilian government completing its full term to another has led some scholars to argue that democratic rule in the country is strengthening and the civil-military balance is gradually tilting towards the civilians. A natural addendum to this approach is that improvement in governance will naturally result in advancement of the civil-military balance, as a professional army would have little need for direct intervention. Such a perspective offers a linear approach to understanding the dynamics of power politics and civil-military relations in Pakistan. To the contrary, a professionally-hierarchically designed military has a greater tendency to establish its hegemony by building multi-dimensional relationships. It is therefore wrong to assume that non-intervention is an indicator of democratic consolidation, as the military’s corporate interests may not necessarily demand direct involvement in politics. The military can still make gains through establishing linkages with civilian stakeholders and dominate the narrative, which ensures security of its organizational interests. Given that, while elaborating the recent trajectory of civil-military relations, this chapter maps out the powerful Establishment in Pakistan – the various players and their strategic connections with each other. It begins by laying down the theoretical context for civil-military relations as it relates to the history of military domination of politics and its current orientation in Pakistan. Then the various instruments of military control at present are discussed, constituents of the Establishment identified. On this basis, some valid conclusions about the future of current civilian transition are drawn in the end.
