The Ghost of 1999: Why Musharraf’s Coup Still Defines Pakistan’s Democracy

In the aftermath of Pakistan losing the Kargil war, on October 12, 1999, a dramatic aerial standoff took place. Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s plane was barred from landing as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sought to dismiss him. Within hours, Sharif’s government had been toppled — and a new chapter in Pakistan’s troubled democratic evolution began.

Previous Pakistani dictators often suspended institutions outright; Musharraf rewrote the playbook. The coup inaugurated a “hybrid” system in which civilian institutions would persist under the tutelage of the generals: elections, parliaments and courts remained intact but operated within invisible lines drawn by the military hierarchy.

From direct rule to managed influence

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Instead of shutting down parliament or dis