I have read the book, It is a poignant analysis. People like Dr Ishrat Hussain have opposing views , but they appear to be less convincing.\

I think Dr Aysha has argued around the following points:


1. Military in Pakistan is a State itself, It has financial autonomy and has the political and coercive Organizational strength to dominate the civilian Institutions. Civil Military relations are of the nature of Client- patron which weaken any organized agitation against the army. Constitutional amendments’ like 58(2)(b) and NSC have institutionalized armies role which is now a class itself, comprising of business men and landlords, and at par with the ruling/ feudal/ landed elite whom it is capable of co-opting through coercion and bribery. All major civil institutions have both serving and military officers at all levels (over 1200). Political corruption has its roots in army’s repeated attempts to make or break the civil governments’ esp. in the 1990’s.

Cooption with the Military was seen as the best way to survival and patronage after the assassination of an elected Prime Minister.

2. Civilian Governments have been too weak or inept to go against army’s interest because of dysfunctional polity that has come to develop over the decades mainly because of the role of the army in politics and economy. An image has been created that makes civilians seen as corrupt, incompetent, and insincere and driven by greed in comparison to the disciplined and clean army.

While the army creates its own rules or bends them whenever it likes and stays away from the preview of civil monitoring and control which in itself is a cause of lack of transparency and corruption in army managed enterprises.

3. Military business set ups, like AWT & FF are publicized as private sector Institutions while they receive frequent and heavy bail outs from the Governments, some things which no other private sector company can be entitled to. Army Officers believe, “any thing they can do we can do better”, as a matter of fact they think they are more intelligent, better qualified, intellectually and morally superior and effective than bureaucrats and even private sector managers. Politicians as a class need training in governance and management.

Financial efficiency of the military business enterprises is a misnomer since they have military management; it is not known since most of the information is not in the public domain. This is despite access to strategic information and preferential concessions from the governments not to mention use of state resources or military budget.

4. The businesses are run in the name of welfare while most of the benefits accrue to the senior brass, with no proportional comparison, there is no housing scheme for the soldiers for example.

5. Land distribution to the senior officers has its roots in the colonial tradition of buying allegiance in exchange for land, it has continued unabated. Acquisition of land is justified in the name of “public purpose’ and is developed using state resources. Operational land in cantonments has been converted into housing schemes against military manual of instructions. Excesses and injustice has been committed in land appropriation from private owners. The trend has exacerbated in the current regime.

6. Military’s political intervention and “up there on the pedestal” image has given the officer cadre a sense of being beyond questioning. Allegiance is ensured since most of the economic benefits are waiting at the top and few get there, so juniors stay in line or go out of the way to appease seniors.

7. Corporate Sector and others alike the Media are sadly also guilty of cohabiting with the army to gain advantages and patronage because of long stints of their rule and influence even during civil set ups- survival of the fittest.

8. As in the case of Turkey and Indonesia there is a definite connection between the dominance of military and the rise of religious extremism in Pakistan, there is a symbiotic relationship between the two so far but the military does not realize the strength of religious ideology as an alterative to itself.

9. The cause and effect is not that simple but politico-economic prowess of the army encourages crony capitalism and creates market distortions. The growing economic empire entails greater political control and under the circumstances it can be expected that the military will find it impossible to withdraw to the barracks.