With Munir in total control, Pakistan inches closer towards direct military rule: Report

Washington, Nov 27 Field Marshal Asim Munir will cement his status as the most powerful person in Pakistan after becoming the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) under the 27th Constitutional Amendment with the country inching closer towards direct military rule, a report has stated.

The post of CDF was created after Pakistan's parliament passed a constitutional amendment in November that places Munir in control of Pakistan's navy and air forces and gives him lifelong immunity from prosecution.

A report in The Christian Science Monitor stated, "But though the title is new, there is a sense of history repeating itself. Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has oscillated between civil and military rule. Military dictators have governed directly for 33 of the country’s 78-year history. For the other 45, the military has wielded its influence from the shadows, by making and breaking governments and manipulating politicians."

It further stated, "Under Field Marshal Munir’s leadership, the army has manipulated elections and unleashed a brutal crackdown on Pakistan’s most popular political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), whose leader, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is languishing in jail. The army and its backers – euphemistically known as 'the establishment' – got a popularity boost following the conflict with India earlier this year. Now, this amendment inches Pakistan closer toward direct military rule. 'What we’re witnessing now,' says historian Ayesha Jalal, 'is a military, which has been strong, becoming even stronger'."

According to the report, how the military in Pakistan was able to gain such a lasting foothold in Pakistani politics is being debated by historians and analysts, with some pointing back to 1852. Punjab mostly went to Pakistan after the British divided the subcontinent into two independent nations in 1947. The army quickly overshadowed political class of Pakistan, which largely comprised migrants from what is now India.

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

The general election in 2013 was Pakistan's first peaceful transfer of power from one elected civilian government to another. To counter this challenge, the Pakistan military started to cultivate Imran Khan as a third-way candidate and brought him to power during the same election. After tensions erupted between Khan and the military, the latter orchestrated PTI founder's removal through a no-confidence vote in 2022.

Now, the report stated, Field Marshal Munir gets an additional five years in power, control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and lifelong immunity from prosecution under the new 27th amendment.

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