“Do not forget that the armed forces are the servants of the people and you do not make national policy; it is we, the civilians, who decide these issues and it is your duty to carry out these tasks with which you are entrusted.”
–Quaid-e-Azam to Armed Forces, August 14, 1947.

The military holds a significant place in the history of Pakistan, as the Pakistani Armed Forces have played, and still continue to play, a vital role in the Pakistani establishment and shaping of the country since its inception. Although Pakistan was founded as a democracy, the military has remained one of the country's most powerful institutions and has on occasion overthrown democratically elected civilian governments on the basis self-assessed mismanagement and corruption.Where the civilian government has failed, the Pakistan army has stepped in the fill the gaps. This has been a mixed blessing. Although not aligned with Quaid’s original idea of what the army and civilian leadership dynamics should be, the role played by the armed forces in Afghan peace process, decision making over critical security policy matters, operation against terrorism including Islamic extremists and progress over Pakistan’s nuclear power program can’t be neglected.