Unlike most countries, where military service is a patriotic calling, in Pakistan it has become the most attractive career choice for the youth. This is not because young men and women are consumed by martial zeal or a desire to defend the homeland. Rather, it is a matter of livelihood and opportunity, reinforced by the perks, security, and power that military affiliation guarantees.

The armed forces in Pakistan do not merely manage defence. They virtually run the state itself. Every elected government knows where the real power lies, and any political leader who dares to assert independence from military diktats is swiftly punished. Unsurprisingly, politicians in power prefer to fall in line, lest they should be........

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