Introduction

Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan’s (foreign) policy making institution, namely, the parliament failed to mark its agency whereas non-parliamentary institutions such as civil bureaucracy registered its agency by dominating politics, state and foreign in the 1950s. While invoking its agency, the Ayub -led military became the principal actor in October 1958. The military agency prevailed over politics, administration and foreign policy during much of the 1960s, 1980s and 2000s. In the intermittent periods, Pakistan theoretically had civilian dispensations. Practically, however, a civil government either fumbled at or failed to invoke its agency to counterbalance the military vis-à-vis foreign policy. Consequently, the military prevailed over foreign policy making and operationalisation. In the contemporary context, too, the military has controlled the contours of foreign policy. With regards to foreign policy objectives. the military is preoccupied with Indian threat in the current context too. To this end, it allied Pakistan with major powers such as United States and China. Moreover, Pakistan has projected itself as a leader of the Muslim world. The foregoing has been concluded in the light of agency theory of Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA), which this study has applied to analyse complex empirical facts. Methodologically, qualitative method is employed.

* The first author Dr Ejaz Hussain is a visiting scholar & invited researcher in Fudan Development Institute

Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359106974_The_Military_and_Foreign_Policy_in_Pakistan_An_Analysis