Vishal Sharma
‘Every neighbouring state is an enemy and the enemy’s enemy is a friend’- Kautilya
The speech of General Asim Munir, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff at Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad on 16th of this month in which he talked up two nation theory and mouthed the absolute balderdash about Kashmir being Pak’s jugular vein must be weighing heavily upon him as he huddles in a bunker in Rawalpindi in the wake of a strong Indian response to Pahalgam terrorist attack. There was no need for this rhetorical stupidity; it was not his place to be the ideologue he chose to be. But some people learn lessons only the hard way.
Sitting in his bunker and watching Indian and world media, he must now be thinking what a fool he has made of himself. As New Delhi hits Pakistan’s ugly underbelly amidst a highly favourable world opinion in her favour, Gen Munir can’t now hide himself and leave it to his puppet political class to clean up the mess. But he will, as most of his ilk has done in the past. The ruling Pakistan political class, on its part, however, can’t also escape the responsibility as they clapped and cheered for him when he made the infamous speech.
His speech and, more particularly, its delivery reeked of cultural chauvinism; he seemed to almost mock Indian or rather Hindu culture or Hindu way of life going as far as to insinuate that it was inferior to his peoples’. His reference to ‘ no power on earth can separate Kashmir from Pakistan; and that’when even 1.3 million Indian army has not deterred Pakistan, how could 1500 Baloch militants hope of severing Balochistan from Pakistan’ has been widely seen as a racist dog whistle to signal to the terrorists to perpetrate the worst massacre of innocent Indians in recent history in picturesque Baisaran valley at Pahalgam. His speech regarded Hindus as a fair game. Nobody, who was either in the audience at the convention or in Pakistan at large, called him out for his speech. This is the tyranny of radical Islam that Pakistanis are trapped in, and Lashkar terrorists are in the vanguard of this tyrannical structure led by Gen Munir.
His manner of appointment as COAS of Pakistan army by Sharif brothers ( Sharifs) gives a definitive insight into why he is behaving in the manner he is. His appointment as COAS was widely regarded as strategic. It is a no brainer why it was regarded so and whose strategic interests it would serve. He was appointed as COAS on 24th November 2022 just three days before his retirement on 27th November. He later took charge of the most powerful position in Pakistan on 29th November. His appointment was unique in that he had theoretically retired when he took charge of COAS. Although the arrangement was legalized through an executive intervention, his appointment has always been seen by many in Pakistan as improper in the eyes of law. Questions were raised by many at the time as to why the political executive would appoint a person who had only three days to go in active service when other eligible and more qualified generals were available and in the process go on to politicize the institution of Army. Gen ( retd) Nayeem Khalid Lodhi, who later also served as a federal minister for national security in Pakistan, was of the view at the time that Gen Munir would not be appointed as COAS, as he was ineligible under law. There were many defence experts, who held the same view and raised objections in tv debates too. But Sharifs wanted a plaint general to deal with their nemesis-Imran Khan, former PM and PTI chief, and were in no mood to listen.
Gen Munir has since been doing bidding of Sharifs and ensuring that PTI is not allowed to function as a political party. He was also instrumental in rigging elections in favour of Sharifs and slapping multiple cases on Imran Khan and putting him in jail. He used May 9, 2023 incident (when PTI supporters allegedly attacked military installations across Pakistan to protest Imran Khan’s arrest on graft charges) to systematically dismantle the party by lodging hundreds of PTI workers in jails on charges of treason. He also pushed for trying the ‘arsonists’ in military courts, going ludicrously as far as to seek military trial of Imran Khan on the grounds that he was the instigator of May 9 incidents and thus a traitor to the country. This did not go down well with the international community, who viewed it as a flagrant violation of democratic values and rule of law. However, except mouthing a few platitudes on virtues of rule of law here and there, the international community has been unable to force bahavioural change in Pakistan establishment. Pakistani diaspora in US also approached US Congress seeking US’s intervention in what was described by them as a complete subversion of democracy by Gen Munir in Pakistan. But again only debates have been held in congress. And debates don’t resolve the issues and rein in rogue generals like Gen Munir. Imran Khan is no friend of India, but he has had election stolen from him. A man who should have been helming the govt now has been in jail for more than 500 days. And who’s responsible for this? Well, no prizes for guessing!. Gen Munir.
Gen Munir is working to a plan. He will either break Imran’s will or bend him to his wishes. There have been reports that Imran’s sisters have not been allowed to see him in jail for many weeks now. Pressure is being mounted upon him by giving him unpalatable food and subjecting him to other kinds of mental and physical torture in jail. Unconfirmed reports in the media have indicated that Imran Khan has even been sodomised by an army major. Gen Munir recently sent four retired generals to meet Imran Khan in jail to coopt him on his project. His machinations will not bear fruit as PTI’s rank and file is stridently against him for his role in May 9 incarcerations of its workers. Already voices of dissent have emerged from some parts of Pakistan; and they have begun calling this war as Munir’s war. Indian attack- rightly named OP Sindoor- on terrorist bases in Pakistan on 7th May is only going to isolate him further as the multilayered pressure brought by New Delhi on Pakistan increases pain for its citizens.
Gen Munir sees himself as a bit of both MA Jinnah, a founding father of Pak and Gen Zia Ul Haq, a military dictator in Pakistan in 1980s. Jinnah was an ideologue; progenitor of two nation theory and intellectual fountainhead. He ideated the project Pakistan on the principle that Hindus and Muslims belong to two different philosophies, social customs and literary traditions and thus are two different nations. And that their coexistence within a single geography or in one nation or under one flag is just not possible. Gen Zia Ul Haq on the other hand was implementer of two nation theory by radically islamising Pak. He imposed sharia with strictness and banned films, music, entertainments etc and used public flogging as an official punishment to rein in deviants. Congregational prayers became common sight in Pakistan- even among soldiers- during Gen Zia days and those who skipped these prayers were often singled out and penalized. As a professional, Gen Zia was a tough general and never allowed Americans to directly deal with Mujahideen in Afghanistan during Afghan Soviet war. He would receive all moneys and operational intelligence from US for the operation, but conducted all Mujahideen operations against Soviets in Afghanistan through Pakistan Army. US never had direct access to Afghan Mujahideen or their commanders at any point in Afghan Soviet war during Gen Zia days. This was, however, never the case during Gen Musharaf era when after 9/11 a lot of US dollars similarly flowed into Pakistan. Gen Munir reveres Jinnah for obvious reasons. But he also holds Gen Zia in high esteem for his no-nonsense approach in dealing with the Americans during Afghan war and imposing sharia in Pakistan like it has never been before or after Gen Zia. That is why he is the most dangerous general to become COAS in a long time for he underpins Jinnah’s racist two nation theory with Gen Zia’s radical islamisation.
India’s fight is with Gen Munir only. The political class in Pakistan is mere a distraction. The best way to deal with him is to raise costs for every action he takes and make it unaffordable for him. With OP Sindoor, India has begun well. However, a sustained full spectrum response would rattle him and force him to back off. He is doing it as he is beleaguered at home with Balochistan and KP becoming lawless places and the biggest opposition party in Pakistan not trusting him. He is betting on a limited skirmish with India to make himself relevant in the present chaotic public discourse in Pakistan. Therefore, he is going all in, hoping that if India dithers, he will have won both extension in his service and a place in history. India, which is a civilizational state, should remember Chanakya’s words- every neighboring state is an enemy- and must deny him both.
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