The task of the new chief executive was canceled and he will have to intervene in the country’s political crisis almost immediately after taking office next week.
Post Date – 12:30 AM, Sat – 11/26/22
The task of the new chief executive was canceled and he will have to intervene in the country’s political crisis almost immediately after taking office next week.
Hyderabad: A stable Pakistan is in India’s best interest. But when a neighboring country falls into turmoil, political instability and social strife, the impact is bound to spill over to the other side. Moreover, what is unique about this bilateral relationship is that it depends more on who is at the helm of the all-powerful Pakistani army than who is the prime minister. In this context, the appointment of Lieutenant General Asim Munir to replace Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa as Army Commander-in-Chief has important implications not only for military-civilian dynamics within Pakistan, but also for India as it waits for its rival neighbor to end its military conflict. It has long pursued the policy of supporting anti-India terrorist organizations. Munir, the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI), had his mandate canceled and must intervene in the country’s political crisis almost immediately after taking office next week. His appointment comes against the backdrop of a crisis of confidence following a bitter and public feud between the military and former prime minister Imran Khan, who blamed the military in part for his ouster. Never before in the country’s history has there been such tension and uncertainty at the Changing of the Guard in Rawalpindi. Munir came to power at an unenviable time: severe polarization has fractured the regime; the economy is in disarray; and public anger over economic mismanagement is at its peak. The new army chief needs to resist the temptation to “overstep” – a euphemism for a military takeover. His predecessor, Bajwa, had promised his agency would remain apolitical. Mooney’s main task is to ensure the supremacy of the civil service in all areas of governance.
Munir, who led the ISI at the time of the Pulwama bombing, was subsequently behind the release of fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman. India will need to remain vigilant and watch developments closely in the coming months as he settles into his new job and seeks to reassert the military’s dominance in the country’s public affairs. As ISI chief, he angered then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. Naturally, his promotion is expected to anger Imran, who has been pushing for early national elections. After being ousted, Imran still enjoys the support of a majority of Pakistanis, as evidenced by recent parliamentary by-elections in which his party won six of eight seats. For India, Bajwa’s tenure was a mixed bag: he had spoken out against Nawaz Sharif’s attempts to make peace with India, but four years later, General Sharif himself offered peace and said Pakistan should Resume trade with India. Under his leadership, the Pakistani army reached an agreement with the Indian army to strictly abide by the 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control.
