LEGACY OF AUTHORITARIANISM IN PAKISTAN: ARMY AND INSTITUTION BUILDING DURING EARLY YEARS

Abstract

In the last sixty three years Pakistan has witnessed several coups and overthrow of democratic elected institutions by the Army. It will be interesting here to probe why the army in Pakistan emerged as the strongest institution unlike India, while coming from the similar British system in 1947. In order to understand the current dilemma and recurring blow to the democratic institutions in Pakistan by the army we need to look into what happened in the first decade of Pakistan. NLUJ Academic Use Only How the political class dealt with the people, how they dealt with the entrenched elites and as a result people's aspiration were stifled and how this offered legitimacy to the army.

This paper makes an attempt to probe what happened in the first decade of Pakistan which rendered the judiciary and legislature weak and gave the army an opportunity to take over power. It has also attempts to examine how the unhealthy practice, blinkered policy of the state and several events strengthened the hand of army and how army got popularity among the people, since people supported the army takeover of thfe state. This is also interesting to observe that despite coming from same British system why Army became omnipotent in Pakistan unlike India.