The fault lines between Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership are starting to widen

In Pakistan, the hybrid rule may have delivered a semblance of political stability to the country but the system also has an inherent source of tension. The imbalance of power between the security establishment and the civilian side could lead to a breakdown of the political structure.

Most previous civilian governments in Pakistan can be described as amalgams with certain policy areas remaining strictly under the establishment’s domain. Civilian control is a misnomer given the heavy shadow cast by security agencies over the country’s political landscape.

True hybrid rule

But the present political set-up has been the first experiment in what can be described as a true hybrid rule, with the establishment providing the plank on which it is pivoted. Notwithstanding some minor glitches, the arrangement has worked well over the past three years propping up a shaky coalition government.

Some cracks, however, seem to have emerged in the alignment in recent weeks. The reported clash between Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and the security leadership over the appointment of the Inter-Services Intelligence chief is symptomatic of the widening gap between the two. The fault lines are hard to fix.

It is obvious that the prime minister chose the wrong issue for asserting his authority. His reported insistence on retaining…

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