Mistakes on Repeat Mode: Pakistan’s Civil–Military Debacle

The military has been an integral part of Pakistan’s survival since the formation of that nation state. The idea of the country was based on a united Islamic religion, but series of events dampened the nation’s integrity. In the absence of robust political institutions to promote democracy, the bureaucratic and military apparatus made inroads into polity and expanded their role as dominant powerful elite in the initial years after independence. However, the military could not restore peace and stability required to uphold a nation state and in turn became the cause for the division of Pakistan in 1971. Using a multidimensional approach from the economic, political, cultural and societal backgrounds, this article delves into the analysis of the predominant role
of the Pakistani military that formed the corresponding civil-military relations of the country up to 1971. The article also presents a case
study of Balochistan province of Pakistan as an end observation that the country hasn’t learnt lessons from the partition of 1971 and still chooses
to confront the crisis within the civil-military relations.