New Delhi, Oct. 23 -- In August, I argued in The Friday Times that the real split between India and Pakistan after 1947 had little to do with culture or talent. It came down to one question: who controls the state, elected civilians or an unelected military establishment. That essay was a diagnosis. This one is about the stakes, which have risen sharply in the past year.

Who Controls the Nuclear Button?

Pakistan holds an estimated 170 nuclear warheads, according to the SIPRI Yearbook 2026, and is still building new delivery systems. For decades, command of those weapons rested on a careful balance between civilian and military authority. The 27th Amendment, passed last November, tilted that balance hard. It made the army chief, Field Ma...