Civil-Military Dynamics under Farooq Leghari: Presidential Authority and Military Influence in Pakistan

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16996073

Abstract

This paper analyses the relationship between presidential power and military influence in Pakistan during the presidency of Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (1993–1997). Leghari's time in office saw the enforcement of the 8th Amendment, which empowered the president to dissolve the National Assembly and to appoint the service chiefs. This made him an important player in civil–military relations. This research uses Rebecca Schiff’s Concordance Theory and Morris Janowitz’s Convergence Theory to find out how far Leghari tried to strike a balance between civilian and military interests. His choice of General Jahangir Karamat as COAS, the establishment of the Council for Defence and National Security (CDNS), and the sacking of Benazir Bhutto’s government suggest not only attempts at institutional concordance but also partial convergence of civilian and military roles. However, with the passage of the 13^th Amendment and intensified conflict with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a political deadlock arose. The military leadership offered mediation to defuse the situation, but Laghari opted to resign in December 1997. According to the article, Leghari’s presidency was a transitional phase between presidential dominance and parliamentary supremacy in Pakistan’s evolving civil-military relations.