General Asim Munir has what’s arguably the maximum effective role withinside the u . s . a . after he took rate of Pakistan’s nuclear-armed army closing week. The 57-12 months-antique former secret agent leader can now preserve sizable sway over the u . s . a .’s inner and outside affairs. Munir has taken over at a time whilst Pakistan faces more than one crises: a voluble competition stressful instantaneously elections, an financial meltdown, and anciental floods that submerged one-0.33 of the u . s . a . this 12 months. Here are the 5 largest responsibilities earlier than Munir as he starts his tenure:
Domestic politics
Analysts say the most task the brand new military leader need to address is the chaos and instability engulfing politics because former Prime Minister Imran Khan became eliminated from office. Khan misplaced a parliamentary vote of self belief in April this 12 months, a defeat he alleged became orchestrated via way of means of the USA in collusion together along with his political opponents and the effective army. Both Islamabad and Washington again and again denied the charges. In a U-flip closing month, the pinnacle of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) birthday birthday celebration stated he now no longer blamed the United States for his removal, stressing that he wishes precise members of the family with Washington if and whilst he comes again to strength. Even aleven though Khan keeps to fiercely criticise the army for its intervention in politics, the cricketer-turned-baby-kisser has formerly requested the military to strengthen elections, in any other case due in past due 2023.
Lahore-primarily based totally political analyst Majid Nizami says Munir’s time period may be carefully watched after what his predecessor Qamar Javed Bajwa stated in his farewell speech closing month. Addressing the military’s pinnacle brass, Bajwa stated the army has determined to now no longer meddle in political matters, due to the fact such interventions, which passed off withinside the beyond consistent with him, could be unconstitutional. He (Munir) need to first set up his credibility as a clearly impartial military leader in order that he is suitable throughout the political spectrum with out question, Nizami informed Al Jazeera.
Mosharraf Zaidi of Islamabad-primarily based totally Tabadlab think-tank says the army’s common meddling in politics and its manipulate over media need to give up. Under a brand new leader, the army need to withstand the urge to apply the great extraconstitutional and unlawful affect and strength the army has over judiciary, the civilian management throughout the u . s . a . and the information media, he stated.
Military’s photograph
That brings us to Munir’s 2nd largest task – the army’s photograph a few of the Pakistani people. The military has immediately dominated Pakistan for extra than 30 of its seventy five years as an impartial state and is taken into consideration the u . s . a .’s leader arbiter in home matters, whether or not in strength or now no longer. Retired military wellknown Omar Mahmood Hayat says boosting the morale of the army’s rank and record need to be a concern for Munir. We have visible withinside the beyond that with a expert approach, it doesn’t take lengthy for the photograph to be corrected, he informed Al Jazeera. Asif Yasin Malik, former defence secretary and retired military officer, thinks “notion management” may be a task for Munir.
The first task for him is to manipulate the notion approximately military concerning its involvement in politics. This is the primary element he need to move after and rectify. This is hurting military’s operational mindset, he stated. They [soldiers] need to be capable of see what’s taking place withinside the international and what’s being stated on WhatsApp or social media, however their consciousness need to be in the direction of their assignment and expert orientation.
The TTP risk and Afghanistan
Abdul Syed, an professional on Pakistan and Afghanistan, informed Al Jazeera one in every of Munir’s foremost demanding situations could be to include the developing risk of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed group. Last week, the TTP, that’s ideologically aligned with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, broke a ceasefire agreed with the Pakistani authorities in June – a deal brokered via way of means of Kabul. In the declaration pronouncing the give up of the ceasefire, the TTP ordered its combatants to release new assaults “withinside the whole u . s . a .”. Two days later, 3 people, which include a police officer, have been killed in a suicide bomb blast claimed via way of means of the TTP throughout a polio immunisation marketing campaign withinside the southwestern town of Quetta.
According to the statistics compiled via way of means of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-primarily based totally studies organisation, the TTP has released extra than 70 armed assaults this 12 months alone, killing dozens. Pakistan is stressful that Kabul act towards the TTP leadership, which Islamabad alleges has taken shelter in Afghanistan at the same time as the Taliban preserve their territory will now no longer be used for sporting out assaults on every other u . s . a ..
It is pretty obtrusive that Pakistani Taliban has discovered shelter in Afghanistan. Pakistan now has avenues to clear up this trouble – one is political, and different is army, Syed stated. If Pakistan chooses army action, it’s going to necessarily damage members of the family with Afghan Taliban authorities and could bog down its strategic objectives. On the alternative hand, Pakistan can attempt to are seeking for a non-army strategy to pressurise the Afghan Taliban into controlling TTP and to make certain they do now no longer release assaults in Pakistan.
India
India is traditionally Pakistan’s foremost rival, implicating the militaries of each nations. The nuclear powers have fought in their 3 complete-scale wars over Kashmir, a Himalayan place break up among the 2 nations however claimed in complete via way of means of each of them. Both nations regularly blame every different’s army intelligence for armed assaults on their soill. In early 2019, they have been at the verge of every other strugglefare after India blamed Pakistan for a lethal assault in Indian-administered Kashmir and spoke back with an air raid throughout the border. The members of the family worsened and all diplomatic ties among them iced up later that 12 months after India’s Hindu nationalist authorities stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its unique reputation and released an unheard of safety clampdown withinside the valley that lasted for months.
Frequent skirmishes alongside their Himalayan border accompanied till March 2021 whilst the 2 nations determined to observe a ceasefire settlement signed in 2003. Days after he took over as military leader, Munir visited Pakistan-administered Kashmir, wherein he pledged to “shield each inch of our motherland”. “The Indian nation will in no way be capable of gain her nefarious designs,” he stated.
Balancing US, China ties
Pakistan has traditionally maintained near ties with each China and the United States and plenty of observers say keeping near ties with the 2 international opponents may be one in every of Munir’s key demanding situations. But the closing decade or so has visible an growing reliance on its northeastern neighbour, with China making an investment billions of bucks in tasks throughout Pakistan. Meanwhile, Islamabad’s members of the family with Washington had been icy, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif now searching for to fix ties soured throughout Khan’s tenure. Former military leader Bajwa visited each China and the United States withinside the closing months of his tenure.
“They [China] have in no way dictated us who to be buddies with and who now no longer to be. But the Americans and Western nations appear to have an trouble with that,” former defence secretary Malik informed Al Jazeera. Islamabad-primarily based totally overseas coverage analyst Mohammed Faisal thinks Munir need to discover a manner to balance “competing pressures” from Beijing and Washington.
“Pakistan seeks army and financial help from each nations, and it need to discover a manner to stable needful guide from each the main lenders,” he stated. Tabadlab’s Zaidi, however, stated the army need to “absolutely guide the authorities’s overseas coverage engagements and withstand the urge to guide or run the overseas coverage themselves”.