PUNISHMENT DEBATE IN CIVIL MILITARY RELATIONS OF PAKISTAN: A CASE STUDY OF GENERAL JAHANGIR KARAMAT AND GENERAL PERVAIZ MUSHARRAF

Abstract

Civil-military relations have always been a thorny subject. It has always been a challenge to keep the military under check as the military tries to exercise powers that come under the authority of a civilian government. Pakistan since its inception has also faced this problem. Military in Pakistan has always been more powerful as compared to the civilian government and has kept the government on a tight rope. Whenever there is an attempt to achieve civilian supremacy it has been thwarted by the military mostly in the form of a military coup. This study focus on how civilian supremacy can be achieved in Pakistan Punishment theory expounded by Eric Lobber and Danial Bessner which focuses on how military officers can be punished by the civilians for shirking has been adopted as a theoretical model. General Jehangir Karamat and General Pervaiz Musharraf have been taken as case studies. General Jehangir Karamat resigned from the post of Chief of Army Staff after he overstepped his authority when asked the government to create a National Security Council. Whereas General Pervaiz Musharraf after he undertook a major military operation without the permission of the government, he was removed from the post of arm chief by the government exercising its constitutional authority. However, General Musharraf did not accept the government’s decision and revolted against the government and imposed martial law. The theory will be applied on these two cases