The Transition of Guided Democracy in Pakistan. A Study of Military Regimes

Abstract

Since its creation, Pakistan remains politically an unstable state. The emerging influence of the military as well as the bureaucracy has weakened the political institutions. On the other hand, the political parties, as well as the politicians, were the major ones responsible for the disruption in politics. The earlier demise of leadership (like Jinnah and Liaquat Ali) put Pakistan on the verge of chaos and anarchy. Due to the political unrest, the military finds a suitable place to intervene and fill that gap that was created by the political forces. Whenever the military enters the power corridor, they set some of their goals and agendas. To achieve these goals and agendas, legal assistance is required from the main pillar of the state, probably the judiciary. PCO and LFO are the various kinds of legislation that provide the military with a legal way to achieve these goals. After achieving these goals, the military seeks assistance from the political forces to enter the political arena and to prolong their rule politically. The military revives the political system but that political system is purely managed by the military forces as per the liking of the military ruler and that system is known as guided democracy.