THE USE OF RELIGION FOR POLITICAL LEGITIMACY BY MILITARY REGIMES IN PAKISTAN: A STUDY OF ZIA-UL-HAQ AND PERVEZ MUSHARRAF

Abstract

Military governments in Pakistan have relied heavily on religion as an instrument of political legitimacy due to their lack of any democratic credentials in terms of electoral legitimacy. This paper aims to analyze the use of religion as an instrument of political legitimacy by two military rulers in Pakistan. The study will compare the strategies of the two military leaders to examine the ways they instrumentalized religion to legitimate their non-democratic rule.

Through a qualitative comparative study of existing literature, documents, and data, the research aims to assess the use of religion in legitimizing political authority. The study is based on theoretical perspectives on political legitimacy, instrumentalism, and civil-military relations in politics. Additionally, a comparative framework is employed in this research to provide a broader context for the study by analyzing other countries' use of religion as an instrument of political legitimacy.

The research found that General Zia-ul-Haq pursued an ideology-based Islamic policy to legitimize his non-democratic rule. However, his successor, Musharraf, adopted an instrumental approach to use religion for political gains. Despite these differences, it is shown how military rulers used the institution of religion to strengthen their non-democratic rule.

It is evident from the study that the use of religion as an instrument of political legitimacy has caused many problems for the political system of Pakistan. Thus, the paper suggests that for sustainable political development, the relationship between religion and politics needs to be transformed through institutional reforms.