Speaking Of Asia

Pakistan's army in an unfamiliar place - the spotlight

As the Covid-hit economy totters, anger is being directed at not just PM Imran Khan, but also the generals

The Pakistani military is respected for its professionalism and its spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence. PHOTO: REUTERS

It is a well-worn saying that while most nations have an army, in Pakistan, the army has a nation.

Born as a nation for Muslims after the blood-soaked partition of the Indian sub-continent in 1947, and hostilities with larger India starting almost immediately over the contested Kashmir region, Pakistan is a country where the military has always had an outsize role in national affairs.

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