Corps commanders’ conferences are a routine feature in the Pakistan army during which operational matters and other military [and also political] issues are discussed. On termination of every such conference, Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] issues a structured statement on the proceedings.

These communiqués invariably include self praise of the military’s state of operational readiness; a stern warning that any military misadventure would invite a befitting reply, and expressing ‘concern’ on alleged human rights violations in J&K and reiterating Rawalpindi’s solidarity with the pro-Pakistan elements therein. The army’s observations on major political developments are also included in the press release.
Rebutting statements that embarrass Rawalpindi, especially when it pertains to the Pakistan army’s role in sponsoring terrorism in J&K made by both the Indian political and military leadership also figure prominently in ISPR statements. And so, Pakistani media reporting that ISPR’s customary press release on termination of Tuesday’s corps commanders’ conference mentioned that the forum had taken a “serious note of the recent reckless and provocative statements” from the Indian military leadership and termed them as being “irresponsible and detrimental” to regional stability,” comes as big no big surprise.
What exactly were these allegedly “reckless and provocative statements” made by the Indian military leadership and how they were “detrimental to regional security” is indeed a serious issue and hence merits closer examination.
Quoting ISPR’s press release, Dawn reported that “COAS Munir presided over the 267th Corps Commanders’ Conference at the General Headquarters where the comments from the Indian side came under discussion.” It further clarified that “Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi [had] claimed last month that “60 percent of the terrorists eliminated” in J&K during 2024 “were allegedly of Pakistani origin,” while “80pc of the remaining fighters” in J&K “were of Pakistani origin.”
The obvious question that arises is how does a mere statement of facts without any direct or even veiled threat whatsoever tantamount to something “reckless and provocative”? How the Indian army chief’s statement supported by physical evidence is “detrimental to regional security” defies comprehension and is a classic case of tilting at windmills!
Furthermore, with both Islamabad and Rawalpindi having already rejected the Indian army chief’s statement about Pakistan being the “epicenter of terrorism” and his matter-of-fact observation regarding the high percentage of terrorists of Pakistani origin in J&K, where was the need for Pakistan army chief Gen Syed Asim Munir to once again resurrect this one month-old non-issue that was already done and dusted?
To understand why the Pakistan army chief is clutching at straws it’s necessary to get into his boots and once this done, the first thing that would strike you is that he’s indeed a very disturbed person and the victim of his own obduracy and deep rooted prejudices. He took over as army chief at a time when the military’s popularity was plummeting at an alarming pace and even though his predecessor Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had publicly admitted that this was due to the army’s age old practice of interfering in politics, Gen Munir didn’t any heed pay heed as he couldn’t resist the temptation of playing king-maker. He also couldn’t overcome the urge to install a pliant government as well as avenge humiliation of his unceremonious removal as military’s spy agency Inter Services Intelligence [ISI] chief in 2019 by the then Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf [PTI] chief Imran Khan.
By allowing the gnawing obsession to politically emasculate the cricketer-turned-former prime minister getting the better of him, Gen Munir used the army and judiciary to ‘steal the elections,’ plunging Pakistan into an unprecedented morass of political instability that endures even today. However, the first major shock and embarrassment for the army chief came on May 9, 2023, when irate mobs of PTI workers and supporters ran riot targeting military assets and facilities.
Though this spontaneous violence was triggered by the PTI chief’s controversial arrest by Rangers from court premises, its roots lay in brazen manipulation of election results by the army. However, Rawalpindi was quick in portraying this unprecedented development as a “coordinated conspiracy,” but it failed to furnish any credible evidence in support of this allegation. The fact that he was at the helm of affairs when for the first time in the country’s history army installations were torched and the military martyr’s memorial desecrated by the public would definitely continue to haunt Gen Munir.
But this isn’t the only ‘black eye’ worrying Pakistan’s army chief. For the first time since commencement of the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor [CPEC] project in 2015, Beijing publicly called out Pakistan army’s abject failure in ensuring safety of Chinese nationals working on this project. Readers would recall that while speaking at a seminar in Islamabad in October last year, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong had unambiguously aired Beijing’s ire by saying “It is unacceptable for us to be attacked twice in only six months.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Office tried to downplay Beijing’s outburst by saying that it was “not reflective of the diplomatic traditions between Pakistan and China.” However, the fact that the Pakistan army that never ceases to boast about its unmatched military prowess was openly disparaged by ‘all weather friend’ and ‘iron brother’ China is yet another ‘black eye’ for Gen Munir. To add to his woes, 2024 proved to be the deadliest year for the Pakistan army in a decade, and Pakistan’s Center for Research and Security Studies has in its annual report mentioned that 2024 saw at least 444 terror attacks that resulted in a whopping 685 fatalities.
The current year too hasn’t been a particularly good one for the Pakistan army and the recent spate of coordinated attacks by Baloch Liberation Army [BLA] fighters especially the one in Kalat district of Balochistan in which 18 soldiers were killed apparently proved to be the proverbial last straw. Gen Munir would have definitely been upset by the fact that despite the Pakistan army’s “comprehensive military operation” in Balochistan launched in November last year that his since turned this region into a virtual fortress, determined Baloch fighters were still able to kill a dozen-and-a-half soldiers in a daring attack.
ISPR tried to conceal the army’s failure by blaming this attack on elements “acting as terrorist proxies of their foreign masters.” However, Gen Munir knows very well that few would buy ISPR’s unsubstantiated ‘foreign hand’ allegations and that all fingers for this major failure point at Rawalpindi. ISPR also tried to misinform the public that the deceased soldiers had not been ambushed but were killed while clearing roadblocks set up by BLA fighters, but this blatant lie was exposed by the Kalat Divisional Commissioner forcing Rawalpindi once again end up eating crow.
Another ‘black eye’ for Pakistan’s army chief is his inability to stop or even control the indiscriminate spate of enforced disappearances in Balochistan being orchestrated by the Pakistan army and law enforcement/ intelligence agencies operating under its command.
While Rawalpindi is using every trick in the book to muzzle domestic media, this issue is nevertheless finding couched but frequent mention in both the electronic and print media. With disturbing video footage and images of public protests against abduction of innocent locals by security forces, inundating social media, institutionalised persecution of Baloch people has become Rawalpindi’s worst kept secret.
For Gen Munir who takes the high moral ground at the drop of the hat to condemn what he alleges are “continued blatant human rights violations” in J&K without furnishing any evidence of the same, the ongoing scourge of enforced disappearances that has attracted adverse international attention would surely be a source of immense embarrassment.
In psychology, ‘distraction’ is the process of diverting the attention of an individual or group from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information. It appears that a beleaguered Gen Munir may have resorted to using this common human defence mechanism.
Since the age-old ruse about ‘Hindu’ India being a looming existential threat to the Islamic state of Pakistan never fails to attract public attention, it’s not at all surprising that Gen Munir has played this oft-used gimmick.
Hence it’s obvious that his recent “Any misadventure [by India] against Pakistan will be responded with full and resolute force of the state” warning is nothing but a crafty ploy aimed at whipping up fear and frenzy amongst Pakistanis by creating the impression of impending offensive action by India so as to divert public attention from the Pakistan army’s humongous failures. In short, Gen Munir is in fact following the disastrous ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ approach.
So, while the people of Pakistan may believe that Kabul is supporting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] and New Delhi is backing Baloch fighters, it’s just a matter of time before they start asking that if Gen Munir’s claim that the Pakistan armed forces are “fully capable” of safeguarding the country against the “entire spectrum of threats” is true, then why are TTP terrorists and armed Baloch groups in still holding sway over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and Balochistan respectively?
How long will the ongoing Pakistan army precipitated political crisis in Pakistan and its brazen human rights violations in Balochistan as well as KP continue is anybody’s guess!

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