The Rule of Military in Pakistan: An Agent of Change? A Socio-Political Comparative Analysis of Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq

Abstract

The change covers the meaning of alteration, transformation or fundamental modification to achieve some specific objective. The socio-political change covers the domain of transformational steps by an individual, organization or by state to bring fundamental changes in society and political setup. The political history of Pakistan has seen many ups and downs in the form of four long military interventions in the political setup. The weak political norms and fragile political institutions provide a feasible environment for the organized institution of the military to intervene and establish their rule. Military dictators have posed themselves as the saviour of the nation and a hope for change for the common masses. The special focus of this paper is the era of General Ayub Khan and General Zia-ul-Haq. This paper is an effort to explore the consequences and results of the socio-political transformational policies adopted by both military leaders. The study reveals that both military dictators adopted different stands (economic and religious) to preserve their interests instead of social welfare.