By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's nuclear armed military is set to get a new supremo later this month when General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure as Chief of Army Staff comes to an end.
The military is the most powerful institution in a nation seldom far from its next crisis and the appointment could have a crucial bearing on the future of Pakistan's fragile democracy, and whether relations with neighbouring India are allowed to improve.
During the 75 years since independence and formation of Pakistan out of the Partition of India, the army has seized power three times and directly ruled the Islamic republic for more than three decades, fighting three wars with India along the way.
Even when a civilian government holds power, Pakistan's generals retain a dominant influence over security matters and foreign affairs. And the new chief could set the tone for the conduct of relations with the Hindu nationalist government in India, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and determine whether Pakistan tilts more toward China or the United States.