The image of the Pakistan army existed before the image of Pakistan, because the army existed before the country came into being. The charisma developed during Partition when the people saw it as a saviour and a protector against communal violence. This was particularly true of West Pakistan which had impressive cantonments where the British recruited their forces. It was not true of East Pakistan, where the common man was at best puzzled by it: there were no impressive cantonments, Bengalis had hardly joined the army.
The image of the Pakistan army existed before the image of Pakistan, because the army existed before the country came into being. The charisma developed during Partition when the people saw it as a saviour and a protector against communal violence. This was particularly true of West Pakistan which had impressive cantonments where the British recruited their forces. It was not true of East Pakistan, where the common man was at best puzzled by it: there were no impressive cantonments, Bengalis had hardly joined the army.
Brig A.R. Siddiqi thinks it a measure of West Pakistan´s indifference to the defence of East Pakistan that the first General Officer Commanding in the person of Major General Ayub Khan was sent to Dhaka five months late at the head of a force no larger than a brigade. The Bengalis were not greatly enamoured of West Pakistanis clad in unfamiliar uniforms. Worried by this state of affairs, the Major General asked his officers to go around the country and 'show arms'. One wonders if that improved the PR.
On the other hand, West Pakistan was of the soldierly stock and the people identified with the army easily. In the first decade, political bickering destroyed the image of the civilian leaders, while boosting that of the army. The first martial law in Punjab in 1953 boosted the reputation further, with Gen Azam Khan seen as a saviour rather than a trespasser.