The Armed Forces of Pakistan

To the north an extended civil war in Afghanistan fuelled by arms from Russia and the US. To the west a fundamentalist Islamic region in Iran with links to international terrorism. To the northeast a secessionist guerilla war in Kashmir. To the east, India, with which Pakistan has fought two wars in 40 years. In these volatile circumstances, Pakistan's armed forces continue to play an important role both internally and externally. Since their creation out of the communal violence of partition at the end of WWII, the armed forces of Pakistan have played a central role in the Pakistan state, periodically usurping the civil authority and ruling in its own right. "The Armed Forces of Pakistan" describes the nature of Pakistan's defence capabilities and the forces which will shape them in the 21st century. It surveys the forces locked in conflict over the nuclear option and examines the three internal pressures Pakistan continues to face - militarization, secularization, and Islamic fundamentalism.