A force to reckon with

Through the position of CDS, the military gets a say in governance. Should we worry about it?

India has given its military a formal say in how government is to be run. The long-term consequences of this are unclear, but what is clear is that we will not be able to avoid them. They will come. The record of military in government in our part of the world is not encouraging, and keeping soldiers at arm’s length has always been wise. 

It is not particularly understood that the military capture of Pakistan happened because of a civilian initiative to introduce soldiers into government. Gen Ayub Khan, the army chief, was made a minister in the cabinet while he