Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's open acknowledgment of a "hybrid model" of governance — where the military holds substantial control — has stirred political and public discourse, effectively confirming long-standing suspicions about the military’s dominant role in civilian affairs.
In an interview with Arab News, Asif, a senior PML-N leader and close aide to Nawaz Sharif, declared:
“This is a hybrid model. It’s not an ideal democratic government… but it is doing wonders. This system is a practical necessity until Pakistan is out of the woods.”
His remarks signal a rare public admission from within the ruling coalition that military dominance is not just tolerated but embraced. Asif justified the arrangement as "co-ownership" of power, suggesting that such a model could have prevented past civil-military clashes — especially during Nawaz Sharif’s earlier terms in the 1990s.
Key Implications:
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Validation of Military Influence:Asif's comments lend credence to critics' claims that Pakistan is governed less by democratic mandate and more by military orchestration. This aligns with observations that the PML-N and PPP have become political facades for military rule, particularly since Imran Khan’s ouster in 2022.
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Political Fallout for the PML-N:The remarks are a significant retreat from the PML-N’s earlier pro-democracy slogan, "vote ko izzat do" (respect the vote). Many now see the Sharif-led party as fully complicit in legitimizing military dominance, weakening its democratic credibility.
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Critics Call it Dictatorship in Disguise:Analysts like Dr Rasul Bakhsh Rais and journalist Matiullah Jan described the system not as hybrid, but a "fixed regime" or even a thinly veiled dictatorship, where elected politicians merely provide a civilian cover for military decision-making.
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Trump-Munir Meeting & U.S. Optics:Asif also hailed Army Chief Gen Asim Munir’s meeting with Donald Trump as the “most important turning point” in U.S.-Pakistan ties, attributing it to the success of the hybrid model. That framing implies the military now leads foreign policy engagement, further sidelining the elected civilian government.
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Imran Khan’s PTI as the Real Opposition:Former PM Imran Khan, jailed and disqualified from politics, continues to frame the current regime as illegitimate, claiming the February 8 elections were the “Mother of All Rigging.” With the PML-N and PPP viewed as compromised, PTI remains the only major party vocally opposing military dominance, making it a target for suppression by both the establishment and rival political players.
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Historical Parallels:Analysts pointed out that unlike Gen Zia-ul-Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf, who engineered new political parties to support their rule, the current military establishment has co-opted major traditional parties, reducing them to subordinate partners rather than independent actors.
Conclusion:
Khawaja Asif’s comments have laid bare the reality of Pakistan’s political structure, where civilian supremacy is nominal and military control is entrenched. For many observers, the country is now operating under its third consecutive hybrid regime, with little pretense of genuine democracy. The real power center lies with the military, while elected officials serve more as facilitators than sovereign policymakers.
This public admission is likely to further alienate voters, especially PTI supporters, and deepen the democratic deficit in a country already grappling with economic crisis, political instability, and shrinking civil liberties.
