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In a country that has been under military rule for nearly half of its history, the Army chief is the most powerful person. Going by that, Gen Asim Munir held all the aces in Pakistan.
Operation Sindoor in May 2024 came as a godsend to the mullah general. He was promoted to five star rank just days after the swift military conflict with India, after the political leadership hailed him as Pakistan’s savior.
Five Star & More
It made Munir the second five star military officer in Pakistan more than half a century after Ayub Khan. That many would say is an achievement. But Munir, it seems, wanted more. And he got it in November when Pakistan’s parliament passed the 27th amendment to the Constitution.
The law mandates creation of a post called Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) which would be held concurrently by the Army Chief. So Munir is now Army Chief, Field Marshal and CDF, all at the same time. He will enjoy lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution for any of his actions taken during service. His will be the last word when it comes to all matters military and nuclear.
Munir was already powerful, so did he need more? Ramanathan Kumar, former officer with India’s external spy agency Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), cites many reasons that may have shaped Munir’s power lust.
Learning From Musharraf?
Former Army chief Pervez Musharraf, widely believed to be the brains behind the 1999 Kargil War, took over the political reins in a bloodless coup. Later, he paid a price for it in the form of criminal cases and ultimately had to leave the country. And the Constitution was then amended to make it harder for any army chief to replicate the misadventure.
Munir is a General who is perhaps even more ambitious and more ruthless than many of his predecessors, says Kumar. But now, he has an ironclad constitutional guarantee even if he wants to impose a one-man rule or Asim Rule as his detractor, jailed former PM Imran Khan) puts it, Kumar told Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale in a special conversation.
