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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Pakistan
Index
Article 243 of the 1973 constitution states that the
federal
government controls the armed forces and gives the
president
power to raise and maintain active and reserve forces,
grant
commissions, and appoint the chiefs of staff of the three
services
(see President
, ch. 4). Under Article 242, the
president
is commander in chief of the armed forces. The original
intent
was that the president act according to the guidance of
the prime
minister. However, the Eighth Amendment to the nominally
"revived" but fundamentally altered 1973 constitution,
promulgated in 1985 by President Zia, specifies in Article
90
that national executive power is vested in the president.
Article 245 prescribes the functions of the armed
forces as
defense of the nation against external aggression or
threat of
war and, subject to law, aid-to-the-civil power when
called upon.
This article is intended to keep the military from acting
independently of the elected political leadership in
domestic
affairs. It was notably unsuccessful in protecting
Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto from Zia's demand for "accountability," culminating
in
Bhutto's trial, conviction, and eventual execution on a
charge of
conspiring to murder one of his political opponents.
Article 244
prescribes the oath taken by the armed forces, including
the
pledge "not to engage myself in any political activities
whatsoever." This requirement is not, however, meant to
restrict
members of the armed forces from voting.
Article 39 enjoins the state to enable people from all
parts
of Pakistan to join the armed forces. It does not,
however,
require proportional representation of provinces, and only
modest
progress has been made in making the military more
geographically
representative.
In addition to the constitutionally prescribed missions
of
defending the country (including protecting the borders
and
coastline) and continuing the traditional aid-to-the-civil
power,
the army has an unstated, self-appointed mission of
guarding the
domestic order--"guardian of the family silver," as
Pakistani
journalist Mushahid Hussain puts it. It is this concept of
its
mission that has led the military to assume power on three
separate occasions.
The military engages in a broad range of public service
and
economic activities and plays a leading role in dealing
with
natural disasters. The army services do not, however, have
a
record of participating in foreign disaster relief. The
army
engaged in civic action work in strategically sensitive
areas,
especially Balochistan, but did not see itself as having a
generalized role in civic action and economic development
matters
that were not directly of its concern. General Waheed even
resisted an army role in antinarcotics work, probably
fearing its
temptation as well as its distraction from the army's
primary
role as the defender of the country.
Data as of April 1994
Figure 11. Officer Ranks and Insignia, 1994
Figure 12. Enlisted Ranks and Insignia, 1994
Constitutional Basis and Missions
Article 243 of the 1973 constitution states that the
federal
government controls the armed forces and gives the
president
power to raise and maintain active and reserve forces,
grant
commissions, and appoint the chiefs of staff of the three
services
(see President
, ch. 4). Under Article 242, the
president
is commander in chief of the armed forces. The original
intent
was that the president act according to the guidance of
the prime
minister. However, the Eighth Amendment to the nominally
"revived" but fundamentally altered 1973 constitution,
promulgated in 1985 by President Zia, specifies in Article
90
that national executive power is vested in the president.
Article 245 prescribes the functions of the armed
forces as
defense of the nation against external aggression or
threat of
war and, subject to law, aid-to-the-civil power when
called upon.
This article is intended to keep the military from acting
independently of the elected political leadership in
domestic
affairs. It was notably unsuccessful in protecting
Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto from Zia's demand for "accountability," culminating
in
Bhutto's trial, conviction, and eventual execution on a
charge of
conspiring to murder one of his political opponents.
Article 244
prescribes the oath taken by the armed forces, including
the
pledge "not to engage myself in any political activities
whatsoever." This requirement is not, however, meant to
restrict
members of the armed forces from voting.
Article 39 enjoins the state to enable people from all
parts
of Pakistan to join the armed forces. It does not,
however,
require proportional representation of provinces, and only
modest
progress has been made in making the military more
geographically
representative.
In addition to the constitutionally prescribed missions
of
defending the country (including protecting the borders
and
coastline) and continuing the traditional aid-to-the-civil
power,
the army has an unstated, self-appointed mission of
guarding the
domestic order--"guardian of the family silver," as
Pakistani
journalist Mushahid Hussain puts it. It is this concept of
its
mission that has led the military to assume power on three
separate occasions.
The military engages in a broad range of public service
and
economic activities and plays a leading role in dealing
with
natural disasters. The army services do not, however, have
a
record of participating in foreign disaster relief. The
army
engaged in civic action work in strategically sensitive
areas,
especially Balochistan, but did not see itself as having a
generalized role in civic action and economic development
matters
that were not directly of its concern. General Waheed even
resisted an army role in antinarcotics work, probably
fearing its
temptation as well as its distraction from the army's
primary
role as the defender of the country.
Data as of April 1994
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