Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan 2018-2019

Abstract

The study of the dynamics of civil-military relations in Pakistan following the emergence of a new political party after three decades of a two-party system in 2018 is a creative idea for research. The massive flow of information, as well as new modes of media and public engagement in the twenty-first century, has had a significant influence on Pakistanis, calling into question the military's lengthy involvement in Pakistani politics. Morris Janowitz's model of a 'constabulary force’ has given the idea of submission of the military to civilian authority as an ideal state of civil-military relations. It is an important model for the survival of Pakistan as a democratic nation and the military as a professional institution. This study has investigated the impact of the indirect involvement of the Pakistan army on the functioning of civil government, the democratic process, and the stability in the country. This paper systematically examines the working relationship of Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan with military leadership in his first year of power in the light of related issues of national and international politics.  This work investigates Pakistan's prospects under a constabulary paradigm because its army has avoided direct involvement in politics and extended its role sitting behind the civilian faces after 2008. The Pakistani military has been working to promote the idea of non-interference in politics, which gives hope for Pakistan as a nation with rule of civilian supremacy. This paper also explains why the Pakistan army has avoided imposing martial law and instead created a new approach to manage political power in Pakistan.