What role does Pakistan’s military play in politics?
Pakistanis will go to the polls for a general election this week as the military is accused of meddling.
Tens of millions of voters in Pakistan will head to the polls this week to choose a new government.
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the country of nearly 200 million people.
Earlier this month, an anti-corruption court found former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif guilty of corruption.
His party is one of several contesting this election.
If it all goes according to plan, it would be just the second time there has been a peaceful transfer of power from one civilian government to another.
Pakistan has swung between civilian and military rule since its independence from Britain in 1947.
But what’s the role of Pakistan’s military in politics? And how powerful is it?
Presenter: Laura Kyle
Guests:
Maria Sultan – director of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute
Michael Kugelman – senior associate in South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center
Hamid Mir – executive editor of Pakistan’s Geo News