| The fundamental question of this study is: What factors have distinguished periods of stronger civilian control of the Pakistani military from periods of weaker civilian control? I propose that three factors -- a single locus of civilian political authority, a strong popular support base for the civilian government, and limited threats to military core interests -- have been associated with greater civilian control of the Pakistani military. Five periods of civilian governance under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1971-1977), Benazir Bhutto (1988-1990; 1993-1996), and Nawaz Sharif (1990-1993; 1997-1999) -- representing three levels of civilian control -- provide the basis for qualitative analysis. The findings of this study suggest that the set of proposed factors is largely associated with greater levels of civilian control of the military. The results also indicate, however, that the three factors must be analyzed as an integrated set, and that changes in one factor may be offset by changes in another. In order to maximize the likelihood of strong civilian control of the military, I propose that Pakistani policymakers encourage multi-partisan initiatives, create a public forum to discuss civil-military issues, limit the army's internal security role, and find the appropriate balance of threat and compromise. |
