Islamabad: The multiple fault lines, like economic fragility, political decay, and violent insecurity, have become sharper and more visible under Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. During his tenure as Pakistan’s Army chief, the military involvement has deepened across each sector of Pakistan’s national life, including foreign policy, resource management and private economy, a report has stated.
The generals usually showcase themselves as Pakistan’s saviours; however, their overreach is crushing civilian institutions, hollowing out the economy, and leaving millions of people in Pakistan trapped between poverty and repression, according to a report in Greek City Times. The most urgent fault line is economic, as Pakistan’s government economic survey and IMF assessments have revealed that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for the 2024-25 fiscal year is expected at just 2.7 per cent, which is barely adequate to match population growth and far below the 5 per cent required to create jobs and sustain development.
The World Bank has warned that Pakistan’s growth trajectory remains “fragile and uneven” while unemployment and underemployment continue to rise. Pakistan’s government claims that Munir’s economic revival agenda, anchored in the military-controlled Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), will attract foreign investors. However, the SIFC’s record after one year is disappointing.
The report in Greek City Times stated: “Pakistan is living through one of the most fractured moments in its history today. The multiple internal fault lines that have long defined the state —economic fragility, political decay, and violent insecurity — have become sharper and more visible under Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. His tenure has deepened military involvement across every sector of Pakistan’s national life, from foreign policy and development to resource management and even the private economy.”
Pakistan’s failure is visible on the security front as well. The Pakistani army’s counter-insurgency doctrine is failing as new militant networks exploit popular resentment. The Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has increased attacks against security forces in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the report. In response, Pakistani forces have carried out operations which have displaced thousands of families. Human rights groups have reported widespread abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and the targeting of people under the pretext of anti-terror campaigns.
The situation is dire in Balochistan as Baloch families carrying pictures of their missing loved ones hold protests in Quetta and Islamabad. The Pakistan Human Rights Commission and international monitors like Amnesty International have repeatedly urged Pakistan to end enforced disappearances and probe army abuses; however, the state-backed repression has increased. The Pashtun belt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also facing a similar situation.
Civilian authority has disappeared in Pakistan, with political groups operating under the shadow of the army, parliament merely rubber-stamping military decrees and the judiciary functioning within red lines drawn by intelligence agencies, as per the report. Media outlets face censorship, with journalists being arrested or silenced through intimidation. At the grassroots level, people have held protests over electricity shortages, rising wheat prices, and unemployment across major cities. Farmers in Punjab and Sindh have blocked roads against fertiliser, diesel shortages and endless power outages. The authorities, instead of engaging in dialogue, respond with arrests and violent force.
The report in Greek City Times stated: “Pakistan’s internal fractures are no longer a hidden undercurrent. Economically, Pakistan is broke; politically, it is hollow; socially, it is restless. The military’s obsession with power has smothered reform and silenced hope. International donors and financial institutions continue to offer temporary relief, but none can fix a system where the military has become both policymaker and profiteer. The reality of dependency, repression, and failure has replaced the promise of development. Consequently, Pakistan’s future outlook is bleak. As long as the army prioritises control over competence, the economy will stagnate, violence will persist, and citizens will suffer. Non-state actors will grow stronger as public trust in the state weakens. Ethnic resentment will deepen into local rebellion. And as the generals continue to rule through fear and violence, Pakistan risks sliding into a state of permanent crisis. The internal fault lines that Asim Munir’s rule has widened are now threatening to tear the country apart from within.”
(IANS)
