Pakistan's Fragile Democracy Faces Ongoing Struggle Between Civilian Leaders and Powerful Military
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Pakistan's military has a long history of meddling in politics and controlling power, directly ruling for over 3 decades total. This has undermined democracy, with no PM completing a full term.
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The military's outsized budget and power accumulated through wars with India has given it unmatched influence over society and politics.
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Politicians have often worked with or deferred to the military to unseat rivals, failing to strengthen civilian rule, though some recently tried pacts to not undermine each other.
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Imran Khan's PTI is facing an unprecedented crackdown since his ouster as PM, with charges some call politically motivated ahead of elections.
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Analysts disagree on whether politicians can reconcile to set rules limiting military influence or if the military will retain dominance behind the scenes.