Military Rule Imminent In Pakistan? Report Says Munir In Total Control, Direct Military Rule Likely | World News

WASHINGTON: Field Marshal Asim Munir will strengthen his status as the most powerful person in Pakistan after becoming the Commander of Defense Forces (CDF) under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, as Pakistan moves closer to direct military rule, according to a report. The CDF post was created after Pakistan’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment in November that placed Munir in control of Pakistan’s naval and air forces and granted him lifetime immunity from prosecution.

A report in The Christian Science Monitor said: “But although the headline is new, there is a sense that history is repeating itself. Pakistan has alternated between civilian and military rule since gaining independence in 1947. Military dictators ruled directly for 33 of the country’s 78-year history. For the other 45, the military has wielded its influence from the shadows, forming and breaking governments and manipulating politicians.”

Additionally, “Under Marshal Munir’s leadership, the military manipulated the elections and launched a brutal crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, languishes in jail. The military and its supporters (euphemistically known as ‘the establishment’) enjoyed a surge in popularity following the conflict with India earlier this year. Now, this change brings Pakistan even closer to direct military rule. Historian Ayesha Jalal says, ‘That “What we are witnessing now is an army that is strong and getting stronger,” he said.

According to the report, how the Pakistani army was able to gain such a permanent place in Pakistani politics is debated by historians and analysts; some point to 1852. Punjab mostly went to Pakistan after the British partitioned the subcontinent into two independent countries in 1947. The military quickly eclipsed Pakistan’s political class, which consisted largely of immigrants from what is now India.

Pakistan’s military appeared untouchable under the late military dictator Pervez Musharraf until the two rival armed forces joined hands to keep them out of politics. According to the Christian Science Monitor, after the Musharraf dictatorship ended, the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) agreed that they would not allow the army to use them as pawns if democracy was restored.

General elections in 2013 marked Pakistan’s first election in which power was peacefully transferred from one elected civilian government to another. To counter this challenge, the Pakistani army started grooming Imran Khan as a third way candidate and brought him to power in the same election. After tensions arose between Khan and the army, the army organized the removal of the PTI founder through a confidence vote in 2022.

The report stated that Marshal Munir will receive an additional five years of power, control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and lifetime immunity from prosecution under the new 27th amendment.