A Moment of Delusion: Pak Army’s Asim Munir elevated to Field Marshal

Barely ten days after India delivered a hard blow to Pakistan’s military facilities its army chief Asim Munir has been “promoted” to the rank of a Field Marshal. Munir will now remain in command of the army and Pakistan itself as there are no time limit on remaining in office for a serving Field Marshal. Pakistan has just experienced a coup in all but name.

Unlike previous occasions when the 111 Brigade of the Pakistan army would seize key installations and take political leaders into custody, this time the process has been marked by approbation. “Prime Minister” Shehbaz Sharif took to X and posted that, “On behalf of the entire nation, I extend my heartfelt felicitations to General Syed Asim Munir, NI(M) on his well-deserved promotion to the rank of Field Marshal. His exemplary leadership during Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos crushed enemy’s nefarious designs and brought great honour to our Motherland. Under his command, our valiant Armed Forces staunchly defended Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with unity, courage and the highest standards of military professionalism. Today, Pakistan salutes Field Marshal Asim Munir as well as our brave countrymen, soldiers, martyrs, martyrs, and their families…”

In a message Munir said “this is not an individual honour but an honour to the Armed Forces of Pakistan and the entire nation.” He also thanked the President and the Prime Minister for the trust they placed in him.

Pakistan has for long been ruled by a hybrid regime. This is an improvisation of military rule. Instead of the army chief designating himself as Chief Martial Law Administrator as was in vogue in the 20^th century, the army chief continues with his rank but a civilian “Prime Minister” is “elected” and is the official face of authority in the country. In reality, entire sectors of governance and control over foreign and defence policies are parcelled out by the army.

The new system is meant to make the arrangement palatable to Pakistan’s backers in the West. But this linguistic sleight of hand does not make Pakistan a democracy. If anything it makes matters worse. Unlike earlier bouts of rule by generals where the distinction between democracy and military rule was obvious, the hybrid regime erases that difference.

This leads to curious results. In a normal country the inability of the armed forces to defend the country—as has happened in Pakistan’s case this month—would swiftly lead to accountability from military leaders and even the civilian leadership would be subjected to criticism. But in Pakistan, where a number of airbases were damaged by India and the Chinese supplied air defence system of the country was knocked out, the army chief has been made a Field Marshal. More such delusions will be on display in the future.

Democracy in Pakistan is not India’s problem: the form of rule in that country makes no difference to its relations with India. These are bound to remain inimical and India should cure itself of the fantasy that democratic Pakistan will be a partner for peace. It never was in the past; it is unlikely to be in the future.

Pakistan’s backers in the West as well as China won’t let it collapse. And as long as the country survives, it will continue harming India. This is a reality that a majority of Indians should accept even if there are people who continue to defend Pakistan for the most abstruse reasons. What India needs to do now is to prepare for a future where Pakistan is sufficiently weak to be defanged at an appropriate juncture. Until then, the world will continue to watch Pakistan’s delusions with a mix of humour and horror.

Asim MunirField MarshallOperation SindoorPark Army chief