Fault Lines in Pakistan’s Armed Forces: Impact on the Stability of the State

Since the creation of Pakistan, the state has been bedevilled by one crisis after another. Over the last six decades, Pakistan has remained consistently dependant on its armed forces to create a nation state from an entity divided by ethnic, religious and social fault lines. Today, the fissures which divide the country have deepened and Pakistan now is on the verge of tearing itself apart. While the armed forces stand as a bulwark against emerging centrifugal forces and have the capacity and institutional coherence to restore order and maintain the integrity of the state, fissures within the armed forces do not bode well for the country. This article examines the role of the armed forces in the governance of Pakistan, its counter insurgency campaign in the country’s troubled western borders and the impact of radicalisation within the armed forces on the future of the country.