unlike-countries-owning-army-pakistan-army-owns-the-country

Countries across the world, even if the smallest ones, or the failed states have their own armies. But there is the Pakistan army, which owns the country, Pakistan. Irrespective of who is in “power” in Pakistan, it is the Pakistan Army, which is in real control of everything and everyone, including the “ruling” political dispensation. The Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan is the master who “overlords” everyone, be it the Prime Minister or the President, the parliament or the judiciary. 

When General Pervez Musharaf, the then Chief of Army Staff in Pakistan, ordered incursion in Kargil heights, the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was clueless and helpless. He was made to cut a sorry figure. While he was hosting the Indian delegation led by the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lahore, Musharaf was planning and executing the incursions, which eventually led to a full-fledged war. Pakistan was forced to retreat. 

A similar situation has emerged now when Pakistan backed, trained and sponsored terrorists stuck terror in Pahalgam killing 26 tourists. The attack is widely seen to be the brainchild of the Pakistan army chief Asim Munir. Just six days before the attack, on April 16, while addressing a convention of the Overseas Pakistanis, he had dropped clear hints of a prolonged confrontation with India, saying Hindus and Muslims were two separate people and they cannot stay together, thus reaffirming the “two-nation” theory based on religion. 

 

Also read: Where did Pahalgam terrorists vanish?

He invoked Quran and Islam, saying there were only two countries in the world, which were founded in the name of Islam; first Mecca, which is now party of Saudi Arabia, and the second Pakistan, which came into existence purely on the basis of Islam. 

While there is nothing unusual or unprecedented in Pakistan army chief invoking religion, but Asim goes an extra mile and is seen to be an ultra-orthodox and radical follower of Islam. That is attributed to his basic education in an Islamic Madrasa and his father having served as an Imam of a local mosque in Rawalpindi. He is probably, so far, the only army chief who is a “Haafe-z-Quran”, one who has memorised entire Quran. During his speeches he frequently and effortlessly quotes Quranic verses. 

Asim has certain uncanny resemblances with another former Pakistani military dictator, who was equally radical and orthodox, General Zia-ul-Haq, the architect of militancy in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Although he did not live to see the militancy in Kashmir, as he was killed in a mysterious plane crash in 1987, it was during his lifetime that Punjab remained in full turmoil. It was public knowledge that militancy in Punjab was sponsored, supported and orchestrated by Pakistan under Zia’s leadership. Like Zia, who was born in Jalandhar, Asim’s father was also born in Jalandhar and had migrated to Pakistan at the time of partition. 

Asim has seen a stormy tenure in the beginning. There was considerable resentment and resistance against him within the military after the brutal and ruthless crackdown on Imran Khan and his supporters. It is during his tenure only when the civilians tried to storm the Pakistani army headquarters in Islamabad. Not only did he manage to curb the protests, he also purged the army and replaced all his opponents with hardcore loyalists. 

Although he has not staged a formal coup like Zia or Musharaf, he does exert complete control over the civilian and judicial affairs. So much so, he prevailed upon the “civilian” government to extend his term to full five years till 2027. 

While political control over the civilian government by the army is an acknowledged fact in Pakistan, Asim has gone a step ahead to “supervise” and “save” the failing economy of the country. He has set up the ‘Special Investment Facilitation Council’, which comprises mostly of the army officers. The council has been set up to revive and secure Pakistan’s economy. So far, Pakistani army generals were known for “real estate” business and grabbing “corner plots” in prime locations, only, but now under Asim the army has stepped into the role of navigating the economy as well. 

After the civilian unrest in the aftermath of brutal crackdown on Imran’s supporters, Asim’s another worst moment was the audacious hijacking of the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan, with 380 people on board, by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in March this year. The BLA is seeking liberation of the mineral rich Balochistan from Pakistan. Pakistan has accused, without any evidence, India of supporting the BLA. 

In ordering the Pahalgam terror attack, Asim not only sought “revenge”, but also managed to divert the public attention and scrutiny on his failures. The Jaffar Express attack is a worst failure and a stigma on his own career. 

Asim has served as the head of the notorious Inter Services Intelligence as well as Director General of Pakistan’s Military Intelligence before becoming the Chief of Army Staff. He is known to be a cunning strategist with a lot of guile. By ordering a terror attack in the famous tourist spot with so many casualties, not only has Asim managed a revenge, but has provoked India against Pakistan, which is anticipating fierce reprisal from India, which has already suspended the Indus Water Treaty, besides suspending all trade with Pakistan and ordering all Pakistani citizens to leave the country. 

This has generated a natural reaction from Pakistan. People there will naturally rally behind anyone who takes an aggressive and hostile posture against India under the current circumstances. Asim is seen as an audacious military leader who has challenged India and is leading from the front. Any Pakistani army chief is always the most powerful person in the country, right now he also happens to be the most popular person in the country, as well. 

He has managed to build up the anti-India hysteria across Pakistan to such a level that it will not only be unimaginable, but also suicidal, for the civilian government to adopt a non-confrontationist approach towards India. 

India knows it too well that it is not dealing with a “military installed government” in Pakistan, but the “military itself”, led by its army chief, with complete control over the country's nukes. And that, for sure, is not going to deter India’s response, reaction and retribution to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in any way. 

Asim Munir, probably, is overestimating himself and underestimating India’s strength and potential, when it comes to inflicting the retribution. If he believes that waving the nuclear threat can deter India from revenge and retribution, he is badly mistaken. He appears to be trying to bite more than he can chew.