On 5 July 1977, Pakistan witnessed one of the most consequential military coups in South Asian history. General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, then Chief of Army Staff, overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Operation Fair Play. The coup suspended democratic governance, imposed martial law, and fundamentally altered Pakistan's political, ideological and security landscape. While the coup was justified in the name of restoring order after disputed elec

The complexities surrounding Pakistan's socio-political landscape have often been reduced to two dominant narratives: religion and...