What role will Pakistan’s new Army Chief, General Asim Munir, play in the internal and external affairs of the country? After retired Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, there was no other senior officer in Pakistan Army than General Munir. General Munir has experience of being the commander of military activities in the terrorist-infested north-eastern region of Pakistan and near the Indian border.
Apart from this, he has also been the head of the infamous intelligence agency ISI. That’s why no controversy has arisen within the army on his appointment. But his appointment in political circles has not been so uncontroversial. Munir was sacked from the post of ISI chief by the then Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khan’s government then accused Munir of corruption. In the initial reports, Munir’s appointment was considered a big blow for Imran Khan, who is now struggling to return to power.
But it has now come to light that before approving his appointment, President Arif Alvi went to Lahore and consulted Imran Khan about it. Alvi has been associated with Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The reports, which have said that Alvi consulted Imran, have not told what the reaction of the PTI chairman in this regard was. But there is still a feeling among his supporters that the Shehbaz Sharif government has appointed Munir as part of its strategy to corner Imran Khan.
That’s why his appointment remains controversial in political discussions Strategic experts fear that if Imran Khan is returned to power in next year’s elections, then such a confrontation between the government and the army could arise, which has never happened before in history of Pakistan. All indications so far are that whenever elections are held, the PTI will win big.
Defense analyst Tim Wilsey, in his analysis written on a defense website, said that it would not be easy for General Munir to deal with a popular prime minister. In the past, army chiefs have taken the route of toppling uncomfortable prime ministers. But considering Imran Khan’s popularity in the country, such audacity can cost the whole country and the army.
Political analysts have pointed out that Imran Khan’s clash with General Bajwa happened because he used to make decisions independently. It is not easy for the Pakistani army to tolerate this. But it is possible that if Imran returns to power, General Munir may have to drink such bitter sips. According to analysts, there are many big challenges in front of General Munir on foreign fronts as well. The first of these challenges is to strike a balance in relations with the US and China. The other major challenge before him is on the Afghanistan front.
Hopes of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations improving after the Taliban took over power in Kabul in August 2021 have been dashed. The terrorist organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been continuously launching attacks on Pakistan from its bases in Afghanistan. At the time of General Bajwa, the Pakistan Army was seen faltering many times in combating the TTP and the Afghan Taliban. It is understood that now General Munir will be tested by fire on these fronts.
