Civil-Military Relations in the Context of National Action Plan Implementation

Abstract

The National Action Plan was initiated by the Government of Pakistan in December, 2014 in reaction to APS attack and with the objective to fight terrorism and extremism. The implementation offers the information on the relations between the civilian and the military in the Pakistan and a detailed picture for the formation of security architecture due to the historical rivalry and structure of the state. Based on the interest of this research, this study will centre on the military operational use of NA and civilian control policy implementation on NAP. It presents such challenges as trust factors, awareness of available resources, and confusion over which actor bears or shares the responsibility of developing a coherent counter terrorism strategy. Based on the secondary data, policy reviews, and professional opinions gathered within the scope of this paper, this paper provides a critical evaluation of how the military retains control over the implementation of NAP, the civilian attempts at regaining control, and the implications of the trends for the civil-military relationship. They include institutionalisation of capacity, new perception of roles, and desirable structures for the reinforcement of coordination. They become useful research findings to explain the type of civil-military relation in counter-terrorism and to provide recommendations to improve governance particularly in the context of Pakistan’s security.