Dual Elite Identity of Military in Pakistan

Abstract

While the repercussions of military intervention in a political system have been wellresearched
in the political economy literature, how members of this institution develop and
deploy their dual identity as a corporate and military elite, the focus of this paper, merits
review. This study traces the nexus between the military and other major power elites of
Pakistan to foster the rise of a major conglomerate. The military‘s hegemony over the
political system helped it create a unique and separate business system within corporate
Pakistan. This article concludes that this nexus between the military and its business group
has helped this institution emerge as a hegemonic force among power elites of the country,
even in a period when Pakistan is being governed by a democratically elected government.