ABSTRACT
The Islam-Passand Political Parties, particularly Jamaat-i-Islami, openly favored an active political role for the military. The training at the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul continues to develop professional expertise of the “would be officers” rather than simply infuse Islamic doctrines. The National Awami Party and the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam were ambivalent about military’s role in politics. A cursory survey of Pakistan’s Urdu newspapers reveals that the military’s defeat struck the public with disbelief, shock and grief. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the first Pakistani political leader who made a concerted effort to bring the military under civilian control. The military hegemonic system is built on coercion and suppression of dissent, therefore both at the elite and popular levels. Bhutto was shrewd enough to recognize the military elites were divided and struggling to adapt, and he was quick to take advantage of the situation.
