Editing Pakistan Armed Forces (section)

== Involvement in Pakistani civil society ==
{{Main|2009 refugee crisis in Pakistan|Operation Madad (Pakistan Navy)|International response to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake}}
According to the views of British scholar [[Anatol Lieven]], the Pakistan Armed Forces play a vital role in keeping the Pakistani state together, promoting a spirit of unity and nationhood, and providing a bastion of selfless service to the nation.<ref name="Open Democracy">{{cite web|last=Anatol Lieven|title=Understanding Pakistan's military|url=http://www.opendemocracy.net/anatol-lieven/understanding-pakistan%E2%80%99s-military|work=Anatol Lieven views written in Open Democracy|publisher=Open Democracy|access-date=20 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414172826/http://www.opendemocracy.net/anatol-lieven/understanding-pakistan%E2%80%99s-military|archive-date=14 April 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> As an institution, the armed forces have been integrated into Pakistani civil society since the establishment of the country in 1947.<ref name="Hamid Hussain, opinion in Defence Journal"/> The military has been involved in building much of the country's infrastructure (such as [[List of dams and reservoirs in Pakistan|dams]], bridges, canals, [[List of power stations in Pakistan|power stations]], and [[Project-706|energy projects]]) and civil–military input from all sections of the armed forces has helped to build a stable society and professionalism in the armed forces.<ref name="Hamid Hussain, opinion in Defence Journal">{{cite news|last=Hamid Hussain|title=Professionalism and Discipline of Armed Forces in a Society with Repeated Military Interventions – Case of Pakistan Armed Forces|url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2003/jan/military.htm|access-date=20 August 2013|newspaper=Hamid Hussain, opinion in Defence Journal|date=4 January 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213406/http://www.defencejournal.com/2003/jan/military.htm|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>[[File:JGSDF International disaster relief activities in Pakistan.jpg|thumb|Pakistan military troops in relief efforts missions in 2005.]]

In times of natural disasters such as [[Pakistan flood|floods]] and [[2005 Kashmir earthquake|earthquakes]], army engineers, medical and logistics personnel, and the armed forces generally have played a major role in rescue, relief, and supply efforts.<ref name="Daily Beast News">{{cite news|last=correspondents|title=Pakistan military steps-in on Flood relieft|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/08/16/pakistan-s-military-steps-in-on-flood-relief.html|access-date=4 July 2013|newspaper=Daily Beast News|date=16 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015164857/http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/08/16/pakistan-s-military-steps-in-on-flood-relief.html|archive-date=15 October 2012}}</ref> In 2010, armed forces personnel donated one day of salary for their flood-effected brethren.<ref name="Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)">{{cite web|last=ISPR|title=Pakistan Armed Forces' flood relief efforts|url=http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/awpreview/AnnouncementDetails.aspx?AnnouncementID=20|publisher=Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)|access-date=4 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503190729/https://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/awpreview/AnnouncementDetails.aspx?AnnouncementID=20|archive-date=3 May 2014}}</ref>

In 1996, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, General [[Jehangir Karamat]], described the Pakistan Armed Forces' relations with civilian society:

{{blockquote|text=In my opinion, if we have to [have a] repeat of past events, then we must understand that military leaders can pressure only up to a point. Beyond that, their own position starts getting undermined, because the military is, after all, a mirror image of the civil society from which it is drawn.<ref name="Taylor and Francis-e-Library">{{cite book|last=Mazhar Aziz|title=Military control in Pakistan: the parallel state|year=2008|publisher=Taylor and Francis-e-Library|location=Milton Park, Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK|isbn=978-0-415-43743-1|pages=80–81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tIwXnkZOyoMC&q=dismissal+of+general++karamat&pg=PA81|access-date=18 October 2020|archive-date=5 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205200137/https://books.google.com/books?id=tIwXnkZOyoMC&q=dismissal+of+general++karamat&pg=PA81|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

[[File:Defense.gov photo essay 110719-F-GQ530-253.jpg|left|thumb|[[Pakistan Air Force]] airmen participating in relief operations.]]
According to 2012 reports of the [[National Reconstruction Bureau]] (NRB), around 91.1% of civilian infrastructure in the [[Federally Administered Tribal Area]] was built by the armed forces in a policy based on sustainable development plans, to improve the livelihood of ordinary people of the region.<ref name="Pakistan Tribune">{{cite news|last=Zaheerul Hassan|title=Pakistan Armed Forces & War on Terror|url=http://paktribune.com/articles/Pak-Armed-Forces-%5E-War-on-Terror-242960.html|access-date=20 August 2013|newspaper=Pakistan Tribune|date=29 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529093438/http://paktribune.com/articles/Pak-Armed-Forces-%5E-War-on-Terror-242960.html|archive-date=29 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Air Force statistics, the air force conducted approximately 693 relief operations in Pakistan and abroad during the fiscal period 1998–2008.<ref name="PAF ISPR Relief">{{cite web|last1=ISPR|title=Relief Operations by PAF|url=http://www.paf.gov.pk/relief_operation.html|publisher=PAF ISPR Relief|access-date=4 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204171253/http://www.paf.gov.pk/relief_operation.html|archive-date=4 December 2014}}</ref> The Air Force carried and distributed thousands of tons of wheat, medicines, emergency shelters, and provided assistance to rehabilitate the disaster-effected areas of the country.<ref name="PAF ISPR Relief"/>

[[File:US Navy 100605-N-3973P-124 Pakistani navy Surgeons and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Nicholas Marcotte use a raven litter stretcher to transport Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class William West during a medical training exercise.jpg|thumb|150px|Pakistan Navy medical specialists conducting medical training while abroad on sea mission.]]
During the wave of [[List of floods in Pakistan|floods]] from 2010 to 2014, the Navy launched [[Operation Madad (Pakistan Navy)|relief operations]] nationwide and provided healthcare, medicines, relief efforts, and coordinated the distribution of food in the flood-effected areas.<ref name="Navy ISPR">{{cite news|last1=Navy ISPR|title=Operation Maddad|url=http://paknavy.gov.pk/opsmadad.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116125041/http://www.paknavy.gov.pk/opsmadad.htm|archive-date=16 November 2010|access-date=4 December 2014|publisher=Navy ISPR|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the Navy's own admission, it had provided {{convert|43850|kg}} of food and relief goods to flood victims; this included 5,700&nbsp;kg of ready-to-cook food, 1,000&nbsp;kg of dates and 5,000&nbsp;kg of food dispatched to Sukkur. The Pakistan Naval Air Arm had air dropped more than 500&nbsp;kg of food and relief goods in Thal, Ghospur, and Mirpur areas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/509039-pervaiz-asks-media-to-keep-national-interest-supreme|title=Pervaiz asks media to keep national interest supreme|website=The News International|access-date=10 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411025908/https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/509039-pervaiz-asks-media-to-keep-national-interest-supreme|archive-date=11 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Engineering units of the Navy built more than 87 houses distributed to the local [[internally displaced person]]s (IDPs). About 69,000 affected IDPs were treated in Navy medical camps.<ref>[http://www.onepakistan.com/news/local/karachi/81137-pn-model-village-handed-over-to-idps.html PN Model Village handed over to IDPs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009003349/http://www.onepakistan.com/news/local/karachi/81137-pn-model-village-handed-over-to-idps.html |date=9 October 2011 }}</ref>