Pakistan’s democratic betrayal: Political parties as enablers of military power

From the report

Even though some days have passed and strict measures have been implemented, the controversy over the dissolution of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)does not seem to have settled; in fact, it is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

One major issue that this development has brought forth is the role political parties have played in facilitating martial law in Pakistan. In other words, why and how have political parties sided with the country’s powerful military establishment when the latter has been bent on undermining the role of the former?

Although all major parties have allied with the military establishment to survive and gain power, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has consistently walked a tightrope. On the one hand, the party and many of its leaders have strongly opposed the domineering role of the military establishment in the country’s domestic and foreign policies—paying a heavy price, from the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gilani in 2012. On the other hand, the party has frequently surprised observers by siding with that very same military establishment during crucial political turnarounds.