Pakistan had the Chinese-made J-10 and JF-17 Thunder smart fighter jets and enjoyed Chinese guidance, as China and Pakistan are not merely business partners but strategic partners, serving as each other’s “ears and eyes.”
India possessed the state-of-the-art and deadly French-made Rafale fighter jets, but lacked guidance from France, as the relationship between India and France in aircraft deals did not go beyond that of a buyer and a seller.
India had pilots, but perhaps there was a deficiency in their professional training, and arguably, they lacked the zeal with which Pakistani pilots are imbued. During wartime, the average Pakistani soldier, many junior, and most senior military officers are overwhelmed by religious fervor and do not fear death. This spirit of self-sacrifice is generally lacking among followers of other faiths.
Furthermore, the training and professional expertise of Pakistani pilots and Air Force personnel were far superior to their Indian counterparts.
The most significant difference was that this time, the head of Pakistan’s army was not a property dealer but a true Commander-in-Chief. From General Zia-ul-Haq to General Qamar Javed Bajwa, no Army Chief of Pakistan dared to take on India directly, but Field Marshal Asim Munir proved different from his predecessors—Generals Zia-ul-Haq, Aslam Beg, Pervez Musharraf, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Raheel Sharif, and Qamar Bajwa. He neither engaged in cricket diplomacy nor made excuses about a lack of diesel in tanks; instead, he stood firm, and in just four days, India was forced to agree to a ceasefire.
Pakistan has every right to feel proud of this unexpected and astonishing success. Wars should not be celebrated, as they bring destruction and casualties, but Pakistan has rarely had much to celebrate or take pride in. Due to its intellectual and historical misconceptions, the entire Pakistani nation and society suffer from collective despair, an inferiority complex, and a sense of inadequacy. Therefore, defeating India, the world acknowledging Pakistani superiority, and the international recognition of Pakistani military prowess is an extraordinary achievement.
In this context, bestowing the honor of Field Marshal upon General Asim Munir and establishing a joint military command under his leadership are understandable and appropriate steps.
Former journalists like us have always been opposed to the political role of the military and its destructive internal and external adventures.
The army executed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan’s first elected Prime Minister, through a court ruling based on a false charge. Bhutto’s murder was not the decision of one General, but of the entire army at the time.
The army repeatedly dismissed the governments of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. One of Benazir Bhutto’s brothers was killed abroad, while the other was murdered in broad daylight during Benazir Bhutto’s own incapacitated government, and as Prime Minister, she could do nothing against her brother’s killers.
In another military regime, a global leader of Benazir Bhutto’s stature was murdered on a public road in Rawalpindi, just a few kilometers from the Pakistani Army’s General Headquarters, in the presence of thousands of people, and the crime scene was washed under government supervision. The military ruler of the time blamed Benazir Bhutto herself for her unnatural death. Neither an investigation into Benazir’s murder was allowed, nor were her real killers arrested.
Similarly, it was the Generals who sowed the seeds of the separation of East Pakistan, and Pakistan was broken due to the policies and decisions of military Generals.
The unnecessary interference and misadventures of the Generals in Afghanistan, Kashmir, and the former tribal areas of Pakistan led to catastrophic results. The army is also criticized for its involvement in various commercial activities and the perception of being above accountability.
The Generals have continued to conduct new experiments to keep power in their hands, which has greatly harmed Pakistan. Project Imran Khan was the army’s most terrifying experiment, which shook the foundations of Pakistan. This very plan is now a burden on the army’s neck.
In the past, tales of the Generals’ wrongdoings and corruption were common, but this is the first time a General like Asim Munir has emerged in Pakistan—a straightforward and tough soldier who is trying to wash away the black stains left by his predecessors. He is attempting to clean up the mess they created and transform the armed forces into a strong, integrated, and professional organization. However, the creators and supporters of Project Imran Khan are relentlessly pursuing him.
Field Marshal Asim Munir is a common enemy of India, Imran Khan, and the Taliban, and these three, along with their associates, supporters, and spokespersons, are running a systematic and effective campaign against Asim Munir day and night. Imran Khan’s description of Asim Munir as Pakistan’s most cruel General and worst dictator is part of this campaign.
Imran Khan’s allegations are false and contrary to the facts, but this campaign of accusations is part of a psychological propaganda technique aimed at damaging the enemy’s reputation and character, bringing him down in the eyes of the public, and inciting people enough to take extreme action against the target.
The rulers of India and the Indian media are presenting Field Marshal Asim Munir as a dangerous and adventurous Islamist General, while for the Taliban, Asim Munir is an extremely bad person compared to General Faiz Hameed and General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Despite such severe opposition and a raging storm, Asim Munir has assumed a new position and has practically become the most powerful person in Pakistan. However, this new power will also be his newest and toughest test.
Currently, the recent press conference of the DG ISPR is being criticized. Certainly, a government official should avoid that kind of tone and style of address, but his approach has a background.
Imran Khan has targeted General Asim Munir from day one. He, along with General Faiz Hameed and General Qamar Bajwa, had tried every tactic to prevent Asim Munir’s appointment as Army Chief. Despite all obstacles, Asim Munir became the Army Chief. However, the chain of conspiracies against Asim Munir did not stop. Imran Khan’s admirers within the army continued to strive to remove Asim Munir.
On May 9, 2023, while General Asim Munir was out of the country, an attempt was made to incite a revolt in the army, for which the PTI was used. This conspiracy failed. Around the world, after the failure of such revolts, immediate military action is taken against the rebels and all individuals and groups involved to make an example of them. Often, rebels face hangings and firing squads. In this regard, leniency was shown in Pakistan.
After May 9, Imran Khan was provided with VIP facilities in jail. He should have refused any kind of facility because Imran Khan used to say that no one should receive special facilities in jail. But when he himself arrived at the jail, Imran Khan started demanding various facilities and comforts.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, while imprisoned, refused to ask Zia-ul-Haq for facilities. From Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan to Asif Ali Zardari, imprisoned leaders never begged for facilities, but Imran Khan is not a leader; he is a self-loving hero and a deity.
After his arrest, Imran Khan met hundreds of people in jail. He held press talks, organized protest movements, and unleashed a storm of propaganda on social media, yet he was not stopped. He even started calling Asim Munir the second General Yahya Khan, naming him specifically.
The PTI consistently slandered the Field Marshal, spread rumors, and then started the vile chant of him being mentally ill—against a General whose professional competence is recognized globally, and who has caused Asim Munir-phobia in India.
Despite being very powerful, Field Marshal Asim Munir remains in the background. He does not seek media attention, nor does he meet journalists or columnists. He knows and understands Islam and the Quran better and more deeply than many of Pakistan’s top religious scholars and religious politicians. Asim Munir is a Hafiz-e-Quran (memorizer of the Quran) and speaks Arabic like a native speaker, but unlike General Zia-ul-Haq and Imran Khan, he has not exploited Islam or used the religious card.
Similarly, Asim Munir has helped a country close to bankruptcy become economically stable. He has also played a role in Pakistan’s successful diplomacy. Now, if his competence or services are not acknowledged, and instead, Asim Munir is continuously called mentally ill and cursed day and night, then what is happening will continue to happen.
The PTI accuses the army and Asim Munir of stealing the February 2024 elections. The level of rigging was likely not as high as the PTI claims. Allegations, false claims, and propaganda are part of PTI’s politics, but that also does not mean the elections were completely transparent. Transparent elections are difficult in Pakistan. The PTI government had bankrupted Pakistan; giving them power again would have meant repeating the old mistake.
Therefore, keeping Imran Khan away from the government became a strategic necessity.
The current situation is that despite all the opposition, the Field Marshal has achieved a name and position that no other military chief has attained before. With such respect and authority, expectations of him have also increased. Now, his every step and decision will be scrutinized with greater detail and critical eyes.
In my view, the biggest challenge is to increase confidence in the military institution. The deeds of military dictators have created the impression that the military considers itself a sacred cow above the law. There is one Pakistan for the military and another for the civilians. Generals are involved in private business and corruption. The financial benefits and facilities they receive are excessive, and a large portion of the national income received in the name of defense is spent on non-defense matters. If Field Marshal Asim Munir succeeds in eliminating these shortcomings or this negative perception, he will be remembered very fondly in history.
Asim Munir can start a new chapter by implementing meaningful legal actions against military officers at the General level who possess assets beyond their known sources of income, by imposing a ten-year ban on them acquiring foreign citizenship after retirement, and by requiring retired Generals to reside continuously in Pakistan for five years after retirement. The public respect he will earn from this will be far greater and more lasting than the honor of Field Marshal.
