Pakistan Military Research Articles

Racism and Alienation in Postcolonial Context: A Study of Tariq Rehman’s Short Story “BINGO”

Referring to the phenomenon of racism and alienation in Pakistani literature, it is first advantageous to examine Pakistan’s Postcolonial democracy. Pakistan was colonized under British rule for 90 years and got its independent recognition in 1947. In 1971, the political and social conflicts fueled the armed forces to start a third war between India and Pakistan. Consequently, East Pakistan (i.e., present Bangladesh) formally separated from West Pakistan. This paper focuses on two major dimensions of postcolonialism i.e., Racism and Alienation, in Tariq Rehman’s short fiction Bingo. Postcolonialism is used as a theoretical framework to postulate the formation and fragmentation of East and West Pakistani nations in 1971. The conventional treatment of colonial hegemony by West Pakistan to East Pakistan is analyzed through the characters of Tajassur and Safeer. The outcome of the hegemonic scenario gives birth to some toxic substances of civil war such as brutality, mass destruction, deprivation, hatred, and family loss, which are couched through the diction and style opted by Tariq Rehman. This study is exclusive in a way that it elucidates the social and emotional estrangement of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) towards a minority (i.e., Bengalis) before the independence of Bangladesh. This work further examines the text to mediate all the scenarios of West Pakistan’s power shift from being under British raj to rule over Bengalis. To interpret the orientation and worthiness of data; thematic analysis is used as a more flexible yet influential tool; to discuss the hegemonic foundation after partition in Pakistan

Nexus between Public Audit Dimensions and Audit Quality

This study attempts to examine the dimensions of public audit in the context of audit quality to investigate the association in public sector. SPSS model starts with likert scales consisting of five dimensional structures: trust and confidence, integrity and credibility, independence and impartiality, conflict of interest and professional secrecy & competence and objectivity to measure audit quality. 251 auditors are the respondents of Pakistan Military Accounts Department (PMAD) varying different demographics. The majority of the auditors were satisfied with the values and principle set up by DAGP regarding code of ethics for public auditors in line with the INTOSAI Code of ethics and auditing standards. The findings suggest that the standard model of public audit dimensions consist of the five dimensions and provides good determinants of satisfaction. Trust and confidence, Integrity and credibility, independence and impartiality and competence and objectivity have significant influence on audit quality and showing positive association while conflicts of interest and professional secrecy is the only variable is insignificant and negative association.

Ayesha Siddiqa. Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy. Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2007. 292 pages. Paperback. Rs 450.00

The book is about business interests of the military in Pakistan. It looks at the political economy of military’s business activities and the personal economic stakes of military personnel as the driver of political ambitions of the armed forces. The author has coined the term ‘Milbus’ for military’s business activities. She defines ‘Milbus’ as ‘military capital used for the personal benefit of military fraternity’. Apart from the Introduction, the book has ten chapters. Chapter 1, ‘Milbus: A Theoretical Concept’, argues that Milbus prevails in most militaries around the world. The extent to which Milbus prevails in a military depends upon the civil-military relations and the strength of political institutions in the country. The chapter outlines six distinct categories of civil-military relations along a continuum of the strength of civil institutions. Polity’s that boast of strong civil institutions, see political forces rule over the country with military playing a subservient role. As the strength of civil institutions declines, militaries penetrate, with the role military becoming complete when the state fails. This is the state where warlords rule. Chapter 2, ‘The Pakistan Military: The Development of Praetorianism’, argues that certain structural lacunae in Pakistan’s political system, dating back to 1947, brought the military to fore. Governments of the day, having failed to promote socioeconomic development, promoted the national security paradigm, to retain their political legitimacy. This brought the military to the forefront. The ascent of military is owed on the one hand to the weak political leadership, that gave the military an opportunity to assert itself, and on the other hand to the authoritarian inclination of civil governments, that compelled these governments to partner with the military. Thus the seed of praetorianism were sown from the very beginning.

The Rule of Military in Pakistan: An Agent of Change? A Socio-Political Comparative Analysis of Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq

The change covers the meaning of alteration, transformation or fundamental modification to achieve some specific objective. The socio-political change covers the domain of transformational steps by an individual, organization or by state to bring fundamental changes in society and political setup. The political history of Pakistan has seen many ups and downs in the form of four long military interventions in the political setup. The weak political norms and fragile political institutions provide a feasible environment for the organized institution of the military to intervene and establish their rule. Military dictators have posed themselves as the saviour of the nation and a hope for change for the common masses. The special focus of this paper is the era of General Ayub Khan and General Zia-ul-Haq. This paper is an effort to explore the consequences and results of the socio-political transformational policies adopted by both military leaders. The study reveals that both military dictators adopted different stands (economic and religious) to preserve their interests instead of social welfare.

Islamic Factor in the Anti-Indian Rhetoric of the Pakistan Army

The article analyses the specifics of the appeal to the Islamic factor in Pakistan to justify the conflict with India. Long-lasting confrontation between the two countries contributed to the cultivation of an enemy image of India by the Pakistan military, that was built mostly on the opposition of Muslims and Hindus, the incompatibility of their mentality and value systems. Thus, due to the policy of the military regimes, a religious motive became an inseparable part of the Indian-Pakistani confrontation. At the same time, for the Pakistani military personnel who joined the service under the colonial government hostile attitude towards India and the Hindu population was not typical. Such events as partition of British India and the colonial armed forces on the religious basis, the clashes between Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, and the first Indo-Pakistani war contributed to the fact that Pakistani Muslim offi cers began to distrust Hindus. Subsequent generations of military personnel showed open hostility towards the Hindus, that contributed to the perception of the conflict with India in the spirit of the “clash of civilizations”. Justifi cation for the struggle in Kashmir is an important indicator of this, as it is depicted as protection of the Muslim brothers from the Hindu rule. Since Islam is positioned as a fundamental doctrine in Pakistan, these views on the confl ict have become an integral part of the ideology in general.

Fifty Years of Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Japan’s Contribution to the Freedom Struggle of Bangladesh

The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Japan. Japan was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh officially, on 10 th February 1972, fewer than two months after the latter gained independence. This article investigates the great assistance that Japan extended to Bangladesh at this crucial juncture in its history, while also exploring several new insights into Japan’s contribution to the freedom struggle in 1971. The widespread support and cooperation of the Japanese people towards Bangladesh during its resistance against the Pakistan military were spontaneous and overwhelming. Many Japanese organizations, like the 'Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Association' (JBFA), the 'Bangladesh Solidarity Front' (BSF), and the Japan Red Cross Society (JRCS), made an immense contribution to Bangladesh's War of Liberation. Notable Japanese politicians and professionals, like Takashi Hayakawa (MP), Professor Tsuyoshi Nara, and Professor Setsurei Tsurushima, coordinated and strengthened their collective efforts to support Bangladesh. The Japanese press and media, like the Japan Times, Daily Yomiuri, and Asahi Shimbun, also played a very positive role in mobilizing public opinion in favor of the independence of Bangladesh. The Japanese government was sympathetic towards the defecting Bengali diplomats who left the Pakistani side and were in Japan under special permission from the Japanese government. Even the Japanese United Nations (UN) Mission came forward to sponsor or co-sponsor several resolutions supporting the means of Bangladesh. We earnestly hope that fifty years of bilateral relations will elevate into "heart- to-heart" relations, from a comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership.

INDO-PAK STANDOFF 2019: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED TWEETS FROM INTER-SERVICES PUBLIC RELATIONS

Background and Purpose: Social Networking Services (SNS), especially Twitter, have been an increasingly popular communication medium, especially in political transformation. This research analyses the language of tweets by Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) of Pakistan, shared during the recent standoff between India and Pakistan on the issue of the Pulwama Attack in February 2019 and the Revocation of Article 370 by the Indian Government in August 2019.
 
 Methodology: The present research examines the linguistic techniques, and micro and macro approaches used in the discourse of tweets by DG ISPR on the said issues. Selection of vocabulary, tone of the message, and emotion in the discourse are studied through Ideological Square Model under the umbrella of CDA, with the aid of NVivo 12 Plus, to inspect the magnitude of the impact of linguistic memorandums from authoritative institutes.
 
 Findings: This study has revealed that the impeccable choice of vocabulary by ISPR adequately represented the Military of Pakistan, nationally and internationally, and has brought a state of tranquility at the time of standoff between two rival countries. This research argues that the discourse in tweets by DG ISPR represented Pakistan as a peaceful country but determinedly ready to defend its homeland during external enmity.
 
 Contributions: This study contributes a better understanding of the subtle ways in which language plays an essential role in creating political polarisation and constructing or manipulating reality while consolidating power struggle, discrimination, prejudice and inequality in society.
 
 Key Words: Pakistan military, Kashmir, ISPR, tweets, CDA, Ideological Square Mode.
 
 Cite as: Ashraf, R., Hassan Khan, M., Qazalbash, F., & Rahamad, M. S. (2022). Indo-Pak standoff 2019: A critical discourse analysis of selected tweets from inter-services public relations. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(2), 314-335. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss2pp314-335

Military and Islamization in Pakistan from 1971 to 1999

Military and Islamization in Pakistan from 1971 to 1999

ISPR Productions vs. Nationalism, Inclination to Join Army and Image Building: Case of Pakistan's Military Operations

This study targets to investigate the impact of Inter-Services of Public Relations (ISPR) production, broadcasted during the war against terrorism, on Pakistani youth. It is hypothesized that ISPR productions have helped in inflating the motivation level of Pakistani youth, thus helping in promoting the nationalism and positive image of Pakistan. Furthermore, the role of ISPR productions in motivating youth to join Pakistan's Army is also explored. A cross-sectional survey research design was used. The sample of this study was comprised of youth aged between 18 to 24 years, selected through the non-probability purposive sample. The measures comprised of a self-constructed indigenous questionnaire assessing the impact of ISPR productions during a military operation in image building, promotion of nationalism and motivation to join the army. The data analyzed through SPSS Version 22.00 yielded insightful findings. The finding revealed that watching ISPR productions helped in instilling a fervent attitude of Pakistani youth towards nationalism and the Pakistani military. There had been a clearer inclination of youth to aspire for joining the military for upholding the nationalism beliefs, and this finding appears promising, keeping in mind the relative declining opinion that has been observed in youth from the past decade pertaining to nationalism and military operations.

France-Pakistan Antagonistic Relations and Role of Public Diplomacy

France and Pakistan have enjoyed amicable relationships since the 1960s and hold high status in the eye of Pakistan for the provision of military technology to Pakistan. It is also one of those major countries where Pakistan exports its products and commodities. However, their relationship suffered a sudden downfall soon after the publishing of the blasphemous cartoons in a French magazine that received an instant backlash from the Muslim community, including Pakistan. Public diplomacy can opt as the top priority for the government to restore the close bond with France in the field of military technology, economy, culture, and politics. In the past, France has been the major contributor to the development of Pakistan's military capabilities. Given a large number of Muslim communities residing in France, Pakistan can never politically disconnect from France, which necessitates coming up with a common ground to take the bilateral ties to the next level.

Precarious attachments: soldiers and erasures of the feminine in the Pakistan military

ABSTRACT Militarism and soldiering are materialized by gendered imaginaries and enabled through physical and emotional labor within military households. Soldier households in Pakistan are rarely nuclear, and soldiering in the Pakistan military is filtered through the structures of rurality, postcoloniality, and localized manifestations of patriarchy. This article draws upon interviews, ethnographic fieldwork, and participant observation in villages in Pakistan and institutions of the military to examine the emotional labor in relationships between soldiers and their female kin, wives, and mothers. The silences and disconnects experienced in these relationships are not a side effect of soldiering and its demands; on the contrary, they need to be understood as the essence of the processes that create soldier-subjects. These attachments and enablers of soldiering are also, paradoxically, premised on ideas of precariousness, a disjuncture that can be better understood through the prism of the military institution’s complicated relationship with the female subject – a relationship built on (dis)enchantment with the feminine (other). This article sets up these erasures of connection, the enabling yet fragile relationships between the soldier and his female kin, as intimate sites to understand militarism. These relationships both sustain the war project and hold the potential for diminishing it.

Russia–Pakistan Military Exercises (2016): Implications for Pakistan’s Security

Russia–Pakistan Military Exercises (2016): Implications for Pakistan’s Security

‘Appropriate’ing grief: mothers, widows and the (un) grievability of military death

ABSTRACT The article interrogates the grievability of military lives by studying female next of kin as subjects of the post-colonial Pakistan military and suggests that these non-masculine and non-military bodies act as a symbolic embodiment of grief associated with soldier death, and as its material benefactor. A study of their affective and material management, the article traces national and local commemorative practices of grief around soldier death instituted by the Pakistan Military during the War on Terror. Female bodies are conscripted in the war effort, as dependents whose destructive affect needs restraint and channelling into appropriate grief, and as vital resources whose excessive affect can be harnessed to express productive grief and support for unpopular war policy. Drawing on fieldwork in villages, analysis of military commemorations, and interviews with officers and female next of kin, the article traces the overwhelming sense of loss that refuses closure within militarised grieving rituals. It concludes that the surfeit of public and collective grief around military lives paradoxically renders these deaths ungrievable.

Revival Of Civil-Military Nexus On Drafting New National Security Policy: Critical Discourse Analysis of Pakistan's Two English Newspapers

Over the past few years, Pakistan carried out various publicized battles against militancy and terrorism led primarily by thePakistan military. Due to the changed geostrategic context, civil-military coordination is necessary for developing a new national securitypolicy. Therefore the objective of the present study is to examine civil-military coordination portrayed in the English press of Pakistanfollowed by the most significant event, i.e., the formation of Provincial Apex committees. These committees were formed for strengtheningcollaboration between civil-military institutions to execute NAP in different provinces, consequently the study analyzed news stories of twoEnglish newspapers, i.e., Dawn and The News, by employing the CDA model proposed by Fairclough. Results indicate that Dawn coveredthe image of the Pakistan military by highlighting actions of then COAS for empowering committees in different provinces for fasterexecution on NAP and restoration of IDP’s whereas, The News covered lack of coordination between civil-military leadership on executionof NAP.

Dying to Serve: Militarism, Affect, and the Politics of Sacrifice in the Pakistan Army


 
 In every country, as an institution the military is responsible for protecting its physical borders and, at their request, helping the civilian government in a time of need. Pakistan’s military is not only a defender of physical borders and ideological frontiers, it also directly or indirectly is involved in politics. It is a robust institution that safeguards the country from external and internal threats and is always ready to make sacrifices for the nation. Many books have been written on the subject of Pakistan's military from different perspectives, but Dr. Maria Rashid’s book entitled “Dying to serve: Militarism, affect, and the politics of sacrifice in the Pakistan army” is a unique contribution that deals with ‘militarism’ and exposes the mechanisms through which it operates in Pakistan. This book has been critically written under diverse and well-arranged themes. Previous studies discuss the high ranking military officers, but omit the martyred soldiers and their poor families coming from socio-economically backward areas. Also highlighted throughout the book is the feminine role of members of the soldiers’ families.
 
 
 
 

Evaluation of myocardial injury patterns and ST changes among critical and non-critical patients with coronavirus-19 disease

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to a major public health crisis globally. Currently, myocardial damage is speculated to be associated with COVID-19, which can be seen as one of the main causes of death of patients with COVID-19. We therefore, aim to investigate the effects of COVID-19 disease on myocardial injury in hospitalized patients who have been tested positive for COVID-19 pneumonia in this study. A prospective study was conducted among 201 patients with COVID-19 in the Pakistan Military Hospital from April 1 to August 31, 2020, including non-critical cases and critical cases. COVID-19 patients were stratified as critical and non-critical according to the signs and symptoms severity; with those requiring intensive care and invasive mechanical ventilation as critical, and those did not requiring invasive mechanical ventilation as non-critical. A total of 201 COVID-19 patients with critical and non-critical categories presented with myocardial injury. All patients with myocardial injury had an elevation in CKMB and Troponin-I levels. Of these patients, 43.7% presented with new electrocardiography (ECG) changes, and ST depression was typically observed in 36.3% patients. In addition, 18.7% patients presented with abnormal echocardiography findings, with right ventricular dilatation and dysfunction commonly seen among critical group patients. Results analyzed by a logistic regression model showing COVID-19 direct contribution to myocardial injury in these patients. COVID-19 disease directly leads to cardiovascular damage among critical and non-critical patients. Myocardial injury is associated not only with abnormal ECG changes but also with myocardial dysfunction on echocardiography and more commonly observed among critical patients.

Selective assertiveness and strategic deference: explaining judicial contestation of military prerogatives in Pakistan

ABSTRACT How do we explain variation in judicial assertiveness towards politically powerful militaries? This article argues that the judiciary’s willingness to assert itself against the military is contingent upon the type of military prerogative being challenged. Focusing on Pakistan, I find that courts are more willing to contest military prerogatives connected to the military’s political authority, than prerogatives connected to its institutional autonomy. This selective assertiveness is strategic, as concerns about military retaliation against the judiciary are more likely to outweigh judicial preferences, on questions of the military’s institutional autonomy than on questions of the military’s political authority. I test this hypothesis using an original dataset of 720 high court and supreme court judgments pertaining to military prerogatives from Pakistan. I then discuss a sample of judgments selected from the dataset to demonstrate how variation in judicial assertiveness is guided primarily by strategic concerns about the likelihood of military retaliation against the judiciary. In studying the interactions between the judiciary and the military in Pakistan, the article provides a new perspective on the sources of judicial assertiveness and restraint, and the role the judiciary can play in bringing militaries under civilian control in authoritarian and post-authoritarian states.

A Media Framing Analysis of Political-Military Narrative on Pakistan's Military Operation Zarb-E-Azb

The language, structure and undertone using which the media frame an issue influence, formulate public opinion. A manifestation of this is the largest - in scale, intensity and impactmilitary operation conducted by the Pakistan army since the country’s explicit involvement in the global war on terror. “Zarb-e-Azb (ZeB)”, Pakistan Military’s flagship operation against militant outfits operating predominantly from erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, (FATA) was launched in June, 2014. The initial successes of the operation could be attributed to the whole-of-the-nation approach deployed by the Pakistan army reflecting a national consensus to extricate terrorism. Media is a strong driver of public opinion and ZeB could prove to be ineffective without public consensus and support. Therefore, any understanding of the causal effects of ZeB’s outcomes must begin from an analysis of the media frames, developed through opinion making in print journalism, that have done to form, or in certain cases unformed, a certain public opinion.

The US-Pakistan relationship in South Asia, 2001-2012: A case study of Afghanistan

Abstract. The bilateral relationship between Pakistan and the US created since independence in 1947 to 2012 Pakistan. This anxiety assisted Pakistan to examination partners in world politics and produced alignment with the US. US concentration in South Asia was to comprehending the USSR to thwart communist enlargement towards the Middle East. Pakistan amalgamated the US alliance arrangement to getting military aid and military cooperation. Pakistan was predictable as key US confederate and acknowledged bulky quantities of military aid. In the Indo-Pakistan War US did not buttressed it in contradiction of India and Pakistan turned to China. When India tested nuclear and Pakistan to hasten its own nuclear programme in contradiction of the non-proliferation intentions of the US. When USSR Confronted on Afghanistan and both states came closer. In the Afghan civil wars, Pakistan subsidized the pro-Pakistan Taliban and tried to admittance gas in Central Asia and encompass Iranian inspiration. After 9/11 instance US bequeathed Pakistan good aid compendium in contradiction of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Later Pakistan was acknowledged non-NATO assistant. The US attacked with drones created anti-American feeling in Pakistan military. Other side Osama bin Laden was found in the Pakistani territory. . Notwithstanding all these difficulties, relations never penniless down entirely and US continuous to bounce aid to the Pakistan. Keywords. Aid, Convergent, Divergent, Pakistan, Terrorism, US. JEL. C53, E27, F41, F47.

Pakistani Identity and Kamila Shamsies Novels: An Analysis in Stylistics (Thematic Parallelism)

This paper explored thematic parallelism in Kamila five of Shamsies novels i.e. Salt and Saffron, Cartography, Broken Verses, Burnt Shadows, and Home Fire. The paper identify here conflicts, depressions, identity fluctuations and a relentless machination of transformations by the powerful and resisting quarters of the region. The repetitive rule of military in Pakistan, the negative fallouts of engagement in Afghanistans resistance against the Soviets, the alienation of Muhajirs, the national and international catastrophe of 9/11 emerge as the strings that reflect the dilemma of the nomadism of modern times. The tyranny of destructive forces is amply reflected in the parallel desolation of places, characters and cultures. Karachi in its violence is parallel to Tokyo and New York. These parallels sublimate each other in conveying the poignancy of uprootedness and loss of identity. The lexical and syntactic parallels identifiable through corpus tools helped in identifying such parallels.