Pakistan in 1999: Back to Square One

Abstract

Pakistan enters the new millennium with the military in command of the polity at a time when military rule has gone out of fashion and is no longer viewed as a harbinger of change. However, the elected government displaced by the military was devoid of a democratic spirit. The October 1999 coup may have averted the imminent collapse of the state but it is difficult to predict whether the military regime can develop enduring solutions to Pakistan's acute socioeconomic and political problems. Uncertainty about Pakistan's political future will persist well into the 21st century.