New army chief – ex-intelligence chief becomes the most powerful man in nuclear power Pakistan – News


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There has been speculation for months. Now it is clear: Asim Munir takes over the leadership in the crisis-ridden country.

It was the top news in the Pakistani media: General Asim Munir becomes the new army chief. He was actually about to retire, but now Munir is to become Pakistan’s highest military officer for the next three years. And thus succeeding the influential incumbent, General Javed Bajwa.

Maren Peters

South Asia correspondent SRF


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Maren Peters has been Radio SRF’s South Asia correspondent since September 2022, reporting from India on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Previously, she was a business editor and dealt in particular with international economic and development policy as well as sustainability and raw material issues.

The months-long selection process was highly controversial. The reason: Ongoing political power struggles in which the army plays an important role.

The rivalry between the heads of government helps Munir

Pakistani political scientist and military expert Ayesha Siddiqa says it is about the rivalry between incumbent Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was ousted from office in a vote of no confidence in spring. In the end, the incumbent Sharif government chose General Munir as chief of the army mainly because he was a critic of former Prime Minister Khan.

Munir had accused Kahn’s wife of corruption in one of his previous roles as head of the secret service. Khan, then prime minister, then threw him out of office. “The Khans shouldn’t be happy about Munir’s appointment as army chief,” says political scientist Siddiqa.

Munir makes Khan impossible as prime minister

Popular former cricket star Khan, who has just survived an assassination attempt, still has hopes of becoming prime minister. But he knows that he needs the support of the almighty army chief to do so.

With an incumbent Munir unfriendly to him, Khan’s chances are likely to shrink. And the repression against him will become even greater.

Asim Munir wears glasses

Legend:

Former spy chief Asim Munir becomes the new head of the Pakistani army.

Keystone/AP Photo/WK Yousufzai

The role of the military in Pakistan is comparable to that in old Prussia, says expert Siddiqa. “In Prussia, the army kept a state, not the state an army, as in normal states.” While the political forces prevailed over the military in neighboring India, the military prevailed in Pakistan.

In the 75 years since independence from India, the military has ruled Muslim Pakistan directly, with military dictatorships, for almost half the time. The military used political strength to become an economic power as well. “The generals still have a great influence on the security and foreign policy of the nuclear power Pakistan,” says Siddiqa.

No change of direction expected in Pakistan

The political scientist does not expect a major change of course under the new incumbent Asim Munir. “We shouldn’t forget: Munir is a protégé of the old incumbent, General Bajwa. They worked together for years.”

That is why the relationship with the Hindu nationalist government of India will remain distant and the relationship with Afghanistan and the Taliban will continue to be based on partnership. Siddiqa does not believe the announcement that the military will stay out of politics in the future.

The army chief is likely to remain the most powerful man in the state in the future. Even if it was Prime Minister Sharif who appointed the new army chief, the head of government is dependent on the army chief. So Sharif should be nice to him. Otherwise what happened to ex-Prime Minister Kahn could repeat itself: Anyone who criticizes the military too loudly has to go.

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