Pakistan Adrift: Navigating Troubled Waters

There is no dearth of literature emphasizing the role of domestic and international factors for the predominance of the military over civilian institutions in Pakistan. Some scholars relate it to military’s growing economic interests, while others attribute it to military’s ‘Guardians of the Nation’ complex involving a militarily superior India, unsettled borders and irredentist claims from Afghanistan that make external security a high priority. Yet others attribute it to the incapability of the state and polity to democratically accommodate the diverse domestic aspirations and a complete reliance on the military to keep the house in order.