Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

[RiazHaq]

Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high conf...

www.southasiainvestor.com

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high confidence in the Pakistani military. This is in sharp contrast to significantly lower levels of confidence they have shown in the country's politicians and bureaucrats. These results appear to reflect the Pakistanis' fear of chaos...the chaos which has hurt them more than any other threat since the country's inception in 1947. Indian Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has described this situation in the following words: "Despite numerous dire forecasts of imminently proving to be a "failed state" Pakistan has survived, bouncing back every now and then as a recognizable democracy with a popularly elected civilian government, the military in the wings but politics very much centre-stage .....the Government of Pakistan remaining in charge, and the military stepping in to rescue the nation from chaos every time Pakistan appeared on the knife's edge". Pakistanis are not alone in their fear of chaos. Chinese, too, fear chaos. "In Chinese political culture, the biggest fear is of chaos", writes Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in his recent book entitled "Has China Won".

PILDAT Survey 2015

A 2015 poll conducted by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development (PILDAT) found that 75% of respondents trust the country's military, a much higher percentage than any other institution. Only 36% have confidence in Pakistan's political parties.

Gallup Poll Findings in Pakistan. Source: Gallup International

Here's a 2014 snapshot of how Pakistanis see various other institutions, according to Gallup International:
1. Institutions - Less than one-third of Pakistanis have confidence in the national government, local police, and honesty of elections, and the ratings for those institutions have declined over the last six years. Pakistan's military is the one institution that has retained the confidence of an overwhelming majority (roughly 80%) of people in the country.

2. Corruption - Eighty-one percent of Pakistanis see their government as rife with corruption. This is an increase of 13 percentage points over the last six years.

3. Leadership - Approximately one in three Pakistanis approve of the leaders in the city or area where they live. Their approval of national leaders is lower - approximately one in five Pakistanis approve of them.

Popularity of the the military among Pakistanis' appears to reflect their fear of chaos. Pakistani military has helped the nation defy the most dire predictions of Pakistan's demise. Political, military, religious, ethnic, sectarian, secular, conservative and liberal forces are constantly pushing and pulling to destabilize it but Pakistan remains resilient with its strong nationalism that has evolved after 1971.

A recent example is Pakistan Army's efforts to defend the state by its anti-terror operations Zarb e Azb and Radd ul Fasad that dramatically reduced the level of violence and significantly improved security in the country. It resulted in increased confidence of businesses, investors and consumers in the economy. Another recent example is the military's active role in Pakistan's success against pandemic caused by the deadly coronavirus.

Terror Stats in Pakistan. Source: satp.org

Here's how India's ex cabinet minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has described Pakistani military's role in defending national integrity:

"Despite numerous dire forecasts of imminently proving to be a "failed state" Pakistan has survived, bouncing back every now and then as a recognizable democracy with a popularly elected civilian government, the military in the wings but politics very much centre-stage, linguistic and regional groups pulling and pushing, sectarian factions murdering each other, but the Government of Pakistan remaining in charge, and the military stepping in to rescue the nation from chaos every time Pakistan appeared on the knife's edge."

Pakistanis are not alone in their fear of chaos as being their biggest enemy. Chinese too fear chaos, as described by former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in his recent book "Has China Won":

"In Chinese political culture, the biggest fear is of chaos. The Chinese have a word for it: luàn. Given these many long periods of suffering from chaos—including one as recent as the century of humiliation from the Opium War of 1842 to the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949—when the Chinese people are given a choice between strong central control and the chaos of political competition, they have a reflexive tendency to choose strong central control".

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

South Asia Investor Review

US DoD 1999 Forecast: Pakistan Disappears by 2015

Has Pakistan Lost All Wars to India?

Pakistani Politicians' Corruption & Money Laundering

Is India a Paper Elephant?

CPEC & Digital BRI

Pakistan's National Resilience, Success Against COVID19

China-Pakistan Defense Production Collaboration Irks West

Balakot and Kashmir: Fact Checkers Expose Indian Lies

Is Pakistan Ready for War with India?

Pakistan-Made Airplanes Lead Nation's Defense Exports

Modi's Blunders and Delusions

India's Israel Envy: What If Modi Attacks Pakistan?

Project Azm: Pakistan to Develop 5th Generation Fighter Jet

Pakistan Navy Modernization

Pakistan's Sea-Based Second Strike Capability

Who Won the 1965 War? India or Pakistan?

Pakistani Military's Performance in 1971 War

Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel

PakAlumni Social Network

Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high conf...

www.southasiainvestor.com

 

[Indos]

As I remember, Waziristan become uncontrollable during Musarraf period (under military coup)

 

[Pandora]

I has always been the Military which pulled our country out of Chaos in the most crucial moments. If it wasn't for the Military Our politicians would have carved 4 states out of Pakistan by now. Military is the only glue that is keeping this country together. Imagine pieces of $hit like Zardari, Altaf, Fazlu, Nawaja, Asfandyar wali and several others having free reign in Pakistan and you will find your answer why Military is the only one we trust.

 

[Syed1.]

If it weren't for Pak Army we would have been another Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen etc

 

[gangsta_rap]

up until now it was the only institution that remained remotely functional.
the only arm of the state that 'did its job'
and people hate them for it

 

[peagle]

Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high conf...

www.southasiainvestor.com

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high confidence in the Pakistani military. This is in sharp contrast to significantly lower levels of confidence they have shown in the country's politicians and bureaucrats. These results appear to reflect the Pakistanis' fear of chaos...the chaos which has hurt them more than any other threat since the country's inception in 1947. Indian Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has described this situation in the following words: "Despite numerous dire forecasts of imminently proving to be a "failed state" Pakistan has survived, bouncing back every now and then as a recognizable democracy with a popularly elected civilian government, the military in the wings but politics very much centre-stage .....the Government of Pakistan remaining in charge, and the military stepping in to rescue the nation from chaos every time Pakistan appeared on the knife's edge". Pakistanis are not alone in their fear of chaos. Chinese, too, fear chaos. "In Chinese political culture, the biggest fear is of chaos", writes Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in his recent book entitled "Has China Won".

​

PILDAT Survey 2015

A 2015 poll conducted by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development (PILDAT) found that 75% of respondents trust the country's military, a much higher percentage than any other institution. Only 36% have confidence in Pakistan's political parties.

​

Gallup Poll Findings in Pakistan. Source: Gallup International

Here's a 2014 snapshot of how Pakistanis see various other institutions, according to Gallup International:
1. Institutions - Less than one-third of Pakistanis have confidence in the national government, local police, and honesty of elections, and the ratings for those institutions have declined over the last six years. Pakistan's military is the one institution that has retained the confidence of an overwhelming majority (roughly 80%) of people in the country.

2. Corruption - Eighty-one percent of Pakistanis see their government as rife with corruption. This is an increase of 13 percentage points over the last six years.

3. Leadership - Approximately one in three Pakistanis approve of the leaders in the city or area where they live. Their approval of national leaders is lower - approximately one in five Pakistanis approve of them.

Popularity of the the military among Pakistanis' appears to reflect their fear of chaos. Pakistani military has helped the nation defy the most dire predictions of Pakistan's demise. Political, military, religious, ethnic, sectarian, secular, conservative and liberal forces are constantly pushing and pulling to destabilize it but Pakistan remains resilient with its strong nationalism that has evolved after 1971.

A recent example is Pakistan Army's efforts to defend the state by its anti-terror operations Zarb e Azb and Radd ul Fasad that dramatically reduced the level of violence and significantly improved security in the country. It resulted in increased confidence of businesses, investors and consumers in the economy. Another recent example is the military's active role in Pakistan's success against pandemic caused by the deadly coronavirus.

​

Terror Stats in Pakistan. Source: satp.org

Here's how India's ex cabinet minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has described Pakistani military's role in defending national integrity:

"Despite numerous dire forecasts of imminently proving to be a "failed state" Pakistan has survived, bouncing back every now and then as a recognizable democracy with a popularly elected civilian government, the military in the wings but politics very much centre-stage, linguistic and regional groups pulling and pushing, sectarian factions murdering each other, but the Government of Pakistan remaining in charge, and the military stepping in to rescue the nation from chaos every time Pakistan appeared on the knife's edge."

Pakistanis are not alone in their fear of chaos as being their biggest enemy. Chinese too fear chaos, as described by former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in his recent book "Has China Won":

"In Chinese political culture, the biggest fear is of chaos. The Chinese have a word for it: luàn. Given these many long periods of suffering from chaos—including one as recent as the century of humiliation from the Opium War of 1842 to the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949—when the Chinese people are given a choice between strong central control and the chaos of political competition, they have a reflexive tendency to choose strong central control".

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

South Asia Investor Review

US DoD 1999 Forecast: Pakistan Disappears by 2015

Has Pakistan Lost All Wars to India?

Pakistani Politicians' Corruption & Money Laundering

Is India a Paper Elephant?

CPEC & Digital BRI

Pakistan's National Resilience, Success Against COVID19

China-Pakistan Defense Production Collaboration Irks West

Balakot and Kashmir: Fact Checkers Expose Indian Lies

Is Pakistan Ready for War with India?

Pakistan-Made Airplanes Lead Nation's Defense Exports

Modi's Blunders and Delusions

India's Israel Envy: What If Modi Attacks Pakistan?

Project Azm: Pakistan to Develop 5th Generation Fighter Jet

Pakistan Navy Modernization

Pakistan's Sea-Based Second Strike Capability

Who Won the 1965 War? India or Pakistan?

Pakistani Military's Performance in 1971 War

Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel

PakAlumni Social Network

Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high conf...

www.southasiainvestor.com

I am just surprised that it is less then 90%.

From experience the trust and love for the military is extremely high among Pakistanis everywhere. There are issues regarding military rule and such political issues, but that never translates into lack of trust and love for this institution.

The world has not recognised Pakistaniat concept as yet, and how deeply embedded it has become over time, and becoming stronger, that is why with each crises Pakistan rises stronger. The world can remain baffled, who cares.

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

No army, no liberty, no independence, no Namus, no Emniyet, no Hurmet, no nothing.....

As for Pak, it's simple: join the Muslims in India where births are cursed and deaths are celebrated. Or, be like BD: by the Hindus, of the Hindus and for the Hindus....

 

[peagle]

As I remember, Waziristan become uncontrollable during Musarraf period (under military coup)

You've touched a topic that requires a deep answer, but I'll try to provide a brief overview.
At independence Pakistan inherited areas with different jurisdictions, Waziristan was a tribal district, part of a region known as "Tribal areas" they were essentially self governing, no police force, or military presence till after USA invasion of Afghanistan.

During the 1980s and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the USA led alliance trained between 100,000 to 200,000 mujahedeen, Afghans most but also volunteers from all over the world, to fight the Soviets. This fight bankrupted the Soviet Union, bringing about its downfall. The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is nearly 3000km of mountains, large hilly areas and deserts, very hard to keep watch, plus it was left open anyway because there was no threat, plus due to close cultural ties.

This openness also created space to help the Afghans in the fight against the Soviets, and the tribal areas were used as an ideal place from which to help the Afghan people fight. The residents of the tribal areas are tribal societies and extremely proud of their identity, historically they feel naked without a gun. They even make their own weapons (search Darra Adam Khel).

After the Soviets left in 1988, America placed heavy sanctions on Pakistan till 2001 due to our nuclear program, and all these trained fighter were left for Pakistan to deal with, and mostly they decided to settle in these tribal areas. So you have a self governing region, with heavily armed tribal societies, plus all those trained fighters. Now, fast forward to American invasion of Afghanistan, because America messed up its operations in Afghanistan, they started to put pressure on Pakistan that we need to go into the tribal areas, because various groups had taken hold there, it was part of this gradual movement into the tribal areas by the Musharraf government, this move was opposed by different groups resulting in an extreme backlash and all the troubles that followed.

The picture you have regarding Waziristan is part of this whole story. I couldn't condense it any further, but I've tried to provide a basic but complete picture, hope it helps.

 

[peagle]

No army, no liberty, no independence, no Namus, no Emniyet, no Hurmet, no nothing.....

As for Pak, it's simple: join the Muslims in India where births are cursed and deaths are celebrated. Or, be like BD: by the Hindus, of the Hindus and for the Hindus....

Shouldn't you complete your statement by saying "NEVER"

 

[Azadkashmir]

otherwise we be bombed back stone age by usa and then raped by indians, then durand line with kabulis issue, then iran may extend border to gulp left over carcass of pak, then wahabie will be also partying, then altafs, zardaris, nawaz sharifs be sitting on the throne humiliating the already raped dead carcass. that's why I vote army.

 

[Savak]

Lol in 1999 when Musharraf took over, people were distributing sweets and mithai on the streets

 

[Pakistan Space Agency]

Most Pakistanis don't favour the military otherwise Pakistani people would not have democratically elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the third time despite being toppled by the military and banned from holding the top job as per military imposed law on the country.

Nobody gives a damn about the military. They always seem to be owning some American war and gloating about it's benefits to Pakistan like a bunch of scavengers.

Couple of examples.

 

[maverick1977]

Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high conf...

www.southasiainvestor.com

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high confidence in the Pakistani military. This is in sharp contrast to significantly lower levels of confidence they have shown in the country's politicians and bureaucrats. These results appear to reflect the Pakistanis' fear of chaos...the chaos which has hurt them more than any other threat since the country's inception in 1947. Indian Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has described this situation in the following words: "Despite numerous dire forecasts of imminently proving to be a "failed state" Pakistan has survived, bouncing back every now and then as a recognizable democracy with a popularly elected civilian government, the military in the wings but politics very much centre-stage .....the Government of Pakistan remaining in charge, and the military stepping in to rescue the nation from chaos every time Pakistan appeared on the knife's edge". Pakistanis are not alone in their fear of chaos. Chinese, too, fear chaos. "In Chinese political culture, the biggest fear is of chaos", writes Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in his recent book entitled "Has China Won".

​

PILDAT Survey 2015

A 2015 poll conducted by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development (PILDAT) found that 75% of respondents trust the country's military, a much higher percentage than any other institution. Only 36% have confidence in Pakistan's political parties.

​

Gallup Poll Findings in Pakistan. Source: Gallup International

Here's a 2014 snapshot of how Pakistanis see various other institutions, according to Gallup International:
1. Institutions - Less than one-third of Pakistanis have confidence in the national government, local police, and honesty of elections, and the ratings for those institutions have declined over the last six years. Pakistan's military is the one institution that has retained the confidence of an overwhelming majority (roughly 80%) of people in the country.

2. Corruption - Eighty-one percent of Pakistanis see their government as rife with corruption. This is an increase of 13 percentage points over the last six years.

3. Leadership - Approximately one in three Pakistanis approve of the leaders in the city or area where they live. Their approval of national leaders is lower - approximately one in five Pakistanis approve of them.

Popularity of the the military among Pakistanis' appears to reflect their fear of chaos. Pakistani military has helped the nation defy the most dire predictions of Pakistan's demise. Political, military, religious, ethnic, sectarian, secular, conservative and liberal forces are constantly pushing and pulling to destabilize it but Pakistan remains resilient with its strong nationalism that has evolved after 1971.

A recent example is Pakistan Army's efforts to defend the state by its anti-terror operations Zarb e Azb and Radd ul Fasad that dramatically reduced the level of violence and significantly improved security in the country. It resulted in increased confidence of businesses, investors and consumers in the economy. Another recent example is the military's active role in Pakistan's success against pandemic caused by the deadly coronavirus.

​

Terror Stats in Pakistan. Source: satp.org

Here's how India's ex cabinet minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has described Pakistani military's role in defending national integrity:

"Despite numerous dire forecasts of imminently proving to be a "failed state" Pakistan has survived, bouncing back every now and then as a recognizable democracy with a popularly elected civilian government, the military in the wings but politics very much centre-stage, linguistic and regional groups pulling and pushing, sectarian factions murdering each other, but the Government of Pakistan remaining in charge, and the military stepping in to rescue the nation from chaos every time Pakistan appeared on the knife's edge."

Pakistanis are not alone in their fear of chaos as being their biggest enemy. Chinese too fear chaos, as described by former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in his recent book "Has China Won":

"In Chinese political culture, the biggest fear is of chaos. The Chinese have a word for it: luàn. Given these many long periods of suffering from chaos—including one as recent as the century of humiliation from the Opium War of 1842 to the creation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949—when the Chinese people are given a choice between strong central control and the chaos of political competition, they have a reflexive tendency to choose strong central control".

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

South Asia Investor Review

US DoD 1999 Forecast: Pakistan Disappears by 2015

Has Pakistan Lost All Wars to India?

Pakistani Politicians' Corruption & Money Laundering

Is India a Paper Elephant?

CPEC & Digital BRI

Pakistan's National Resilience, Success Against COVID19

China-Pakistan Defense Production Collaboration Irks West

Balakot and Kashmir: Fact Checkers Expose Indian Lies

Is Pakistan Ready for War with India?

Pakistan-Made Airplanes Lead Nation's Defense Exports

Modi's Blunders and Delusions

India's Israel Envy: What If Modi Attacks Pakistan?

Project Azm: Pakistan to Develop 5th Generation Fighter Jet

Pakistan Navy Modernization

Pakistan's Sea-Based Second Strike Capability

Who Won the 1965 War? India or Pakistan?

Pakistani Military's Performance in 1971 War

Riaz Haq's Youtube Channel

PakAlumni Social Network

Why Do Most Pakistanis Favor the Military? Is it Fear of Chaos?

Multiple polls conducted over many years in Pakistan have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis have high conf...

www.southasiainvestor.com

polls on pak army only ? wow... tells u how the world fears and wants to know hiw anti army campaign is going ??

 

[nascar 42]

Most Pakistanis don't favour the military otherwise Pakistani people would not have democratically elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for the third time despite being toppled by the military and banned from holding the top job as per military imposed law on the country.

Nobody gives a damn about the military. They always seem to be owning some American war and gloating about it's benefits to Pakistan like a bunch of scavengers.

Couple of examples.
View attachment 675649

View attachment 675646​

The polls quoted in the article are old ones. From 2015 and 2014, when the armed forces won the respect and gratitude of millions of Pakistanis for anti terror ops. The military leadership at the time was also hugely popular.

I would be interested to know what people think of the army and its leadership these days. The numbers might come out very different this time.

I say this because I have personally noticed an increase in anti military sentiment during informal conversations with many people over the past months. These 'people' were not the usual leftist and liberal types but middle class urban Punjabis who have undergone a sort of an awakening these past two years.

As someone who is conservative and generally supportive of the armed forces, this trend is very worrying. People aren't just buying the establishment's narrative now. What has made it worse is that now if you criticize the incumbent government in front of anyone, they shift blame entirely on the army for bringing PTI to power. Its happening all the time now.

 

[arjunk]

The polls quoted in the article are old ones. From 2015 and 2014, when the armed forces won the respect and gratitude of millions of Pakistanis for anti terror ops. The military leadership at the time was also hugely popular.

I would be interested to know what people think of the army and its leadership these days. The numbers might come out very different this time.

I say this because I have personally noticed an increase in anti military sentiment during informal conversations with many people over the past months. These 'people' were not the usual leftist and liberal types but middle class urban Punjabis who have undergone a sort of an awakening these past two years.

As someone who is conservative and generally supportive of the armed forces, this trend is very worrying. People aren't just buying the establishment's narrative now. What has made it worse is that now if you criticize the incumbent government in front of anyone, they shift blame entirely on the army for bringing PTI to power. Its happening all the time now.

The establishment was asking for it by letting traitors run away.