CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS AND POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING: LESSONS FROM THE HAMOODUR RAHMAN COMMISSION

Abstract

Civil-military relations constitute one of the most important dimensions of state formation, democratic governance, national security management, constitutional development, and political stability. In Pakistan, civil-military relations have played a central role in the country's political evolution since independence in 1947. The separation of East Pakistan in 1971 and the subsequent findings of the Hamoodur Rahman Commission represent a critical case study for understanding how institutional imbalances, governance failures, decision-making deficiencies, intelligence shortcomings, and accountability gaps can contribute to national crisis and state fragmentation.