Three years ago, outgoing Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in his farewell speech admitted that the reason for widespread public resentment against the armed forces was due to “constant meddling by the army in politics for the last 70 years, which is unconstitutional.” He also revealed “That is why, since February last year [2021], the military has decided they will not interfere in any political matter.”
Since his successor Gen Syed Asim Munir was widely believed to be an apolitical person, one had hoped that the Pakistan army would finally give democracy a chance, but unfortunately, this was not to be. Gen Munir showed his true colours after becoming the army chief by brazenly manipulating the 2024 general elections to put in place a pliable government of his choice, allowing him to further strengthen his own position.
He orchestrated his own promotion to the rank of Field Marshal after Operation Sindoor/Bunyan-un-Marsoos despite the fact that this was a ‘non-contact’ exchange in which the Pakistan army played a very minor role. However, Gen Munir wanted more than just titles and his lust for power was so acute that he didn’t even hesitate in subverting the constitution through an amendment that made him the most powerful person in Pakistan.
Thanks to the 27th constitutional amendment, Pakistan’s self-promoted Field Marshal has by the virtue of being nominated as Chief of Defence Forces [CDF] become the de facto overall commander of Pakistan’s armed forces. This amendment also provides him lifelong immunity against legal prosecution which is something unheard of in a democracy since it confers unfettered authority on the CDF sans any accountability.
Restructuring the organisational hierarchy of defence forces is an internal matter of the country, and so is the decision of vesting overall command of the armed forces in a single individual. However, providing someone immunity against legal prosecution for life goes against the principle of equality before law- a basic tenet of democracy. This provision is also fraught with danger because sweeping powers and lack of accountability encourages brash behaviour.
And Field Marshal Munir’s decision to cross swords with Afghanistan is one such example.
Even if Islamabad’s claim that Kabul is providing sanctuary to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorists is true, being a very senior army officer, CDF Munir would definitely be aware that airstrikes against alleged TTP sanctuaries inside Afghanistan would materially achieve precious little in military terms. He also must have known very well that such attacks would only bring Kabul and TTP closer, compounding problems along the Durand Line.
And that’s exactly what happened.
According to Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies [PIPS], Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] province accounted for a whopping 71 percent of terrorism related incidents that occurred in 2025. According to Gulf News, Director General [DG] of Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] had described the Afghan Taliban government as a “mother organisation” which was “organising, training and directing TTP”- an unambiguous admission that TTP was receiving Kabul’s support.
In 2025, KP saw a whopping 40 percent rise in terrorist attacks with 14 percent increase in fatalities and a 35 percent increase in injuries as compared to 2024. Coming in wake of Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, this significant surge in terrorist activities and corresponding increase in military casualties in KP is not a coincidence but the expected consequences of Field Marshal Munir’s decision to bomb Afghanistan. Unfortunately, rather than learning a lesson, the Field Marshal got Defence Minister Khawaja Asif to declare an “open war” against Kabul just to soothe his bruised ego.
The armed struggle in Balochistan too has escalated significantly and CDF Munir’s more than a year-old “we will beat the hell out of these terrorists [Baloch fighters] very soon” boast has turned out to be a damp squib. Here again, the humiliated ‘failed’ Marshal has unleashed a reign of terror against innocent Baloch people, abducting, disappearing and extra-judicially executing them indiscriminately.
Needless to say, his vendetta-driven military response is only spawning anti Pakistan sentiments amongst locals and the marked increase in the number of women joining Baloch sarmachars [guerillas] is a case in point. In its Q1 2026 report, Islamabad based independent think-tank Center for Research and Security Studies [CRSS] notes that “Balochistan province saw over 104 percent surge in violence, with fatalities jumping from 217 to 443- marking the highest toll in the last thirteen years.”
With Field Marshal Munir at the helm of affairs, the already severely restricted space for freedom of expression in Pakistan has been further curtailed due to which unrest is once again brewing in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir [PoJK]. Led by the Joint Awami Action Committee [JAAC], a non-political entity, the planned public protests are against 38 unfulfilled assurances made by authorities last year under the Muzaffarabad Agreement.
Surprisingly, instead of addressing their genuine grievances, the puppet PoJK government has proscribed JAAC accusing it of being “engaged in terrorism, [of having] acted in a manner prejudicial to the peace and security of the State, involved in creating anarchy in the State by intimidating public, promoting hatred and creating sense of insecurity in society and public at large etc.” Such an extreme measure just to stifle genuine dissent has the Pakistan army’s patent signature all over.
That these discreet instructions originated from Rawalpindi becomes all the more evident from the fact that protesters chose to place the body of JAAC executive committee member Shahzaib Habib shot dead in firing by Rangers outside Combined Military Hospital Rawalakot instead of the deputy commissioner’s office, District courts or district police headquarters to register their protest, unambiguously calling out Rawalpindi’s direct role in creating the current crisis and a reminder of the common “yeh jo dehshatgardi hai, iske peeche vardi hai” [the army is behind terrorism] refrain in Pakistan.
DGISPR may downplay the serious problems of terrorism, secessionist movements and widespread dissent in Pakistan by citing data indicating drop in violence levels to buttress the claim of the Pakistan army winning the war against terror. But cherry picking just to paint a rosy picture fools no one.
So, while DGISPR may interpret an 18% quarter-on-quarter decline in violence related to terrorism and counter-terrorism in the first quarter of 2026 as a sign that terrorism is waning, he has conveniently overlooked several key markers that suggest otherwise. CRSS has noted that “In the first quarter of 2026, the terrorist attacks outnumbered security forces operations by a factor of nearly 2.7 to one in frequency (180 versus 68),” and opined that “The elevated casualty toll from terror attacks reflects a marked shift in militant tactics, driven by the increased use of explosives and more sophisticated weaponry.”
Therefore, rather than celebrating statistics and issuing threats right, left and center, it would do Field Marshal Munir a lot of good if he took some time off to dispassionately introspect on the adverse impact of his actions on Pakistan. While concealing the Pakistan army’s abysmal failure to wipe out terrorism by blaming India and Afghanistan for the same may serve as a temporary diversion, Field Marshal Munir may like to reflect on Abraham Lincoln’s seminal observation-“you can’t fool all the people all the time”!

Email:-------------------------nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com