New legal armor provides unprecedented power for Pakistan’s military

ISLAMABAD — Sweeping legal reforms and regional conflict have consolidated the Pakistani military’s grip on power in the past year, diluting the role of the civilian government while offering an unprecedented legal shield to the army chief, experts say. Widely seen as Pakistan’s most powerful institution, the military has governed the South Asian country for nearly half its existence via a series of coups since gaining independence in 1947. One of those military rulers, the lat