New Delhi: The impact Operation Sindoor had on the morale of the Pakistan Army is becoming increasingly visible. Post the operation that was carried out by the Indian armed forces to avenge the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan falsely claimed that it had, in fact, managed to gain the upper hand over India. Officials say that Operation Sindoor did not just have an impact on the Pakistan Army’s morale, but the same is visible among the rest of the security forces in the country.
One could say that it caused a ripple effect among all the forces within Pakistan, the official also noted.
The official said that promoting himself to the rank of Field Marshal immediately after the operation itself was a sign that Asim Munir wanted to send a strong message to his army. He pressurised the Shehbaz Sharif government to award him the rank, the second only in Pakistan’s history.
Munir wanted the army and the people of his country to get a feeling that Pakistan was victorious during the operation, and hence, he was being rewarded with the rank of Field Marshal.
Another official said that Munir’s move was also aimed at boosting the morale of the remaining security forces who are engaged in a battle with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Many desertions are being reported among the ranks of both the security forces as well as army personnel. This has, in fact, demoralised many and hence they are fleeing from their posts, the official said.
Another move that raised eyebrows was the 18 per cent hike in military spending for the year 2026. Although the Sharif government tried to resist this, considering the doldrums Pakistan’s economy is in, Munir was hell-bent. The increase in military spending was demanded by him as he feels that the country would be in a better position to respond after the Indian armed forces carried out Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan’s federal budget of the fiscal year 2026 allocated a record PKR three trillion for defence. This accounts for roughly 16 per cent of the country’s total federal spending.
Unable to bear the pressure from the army, the Sharif government eventually gave in, and this came at the cost of public welfare, officials say. To accommodate defence spending, the government squeezed the Public Sector Development Programme and limited federal development to just PKR one trillion. This means there would be aggressive cuts to infrastructure, schools and local projects.
Further, the federal government pressured the provincial leaders to trim development plans and surplus cash from the Punjab and Sindh provinces was redirected to the federal capital. The government then drastically phased out energy and utility subsidies. This means that the people of Pakistan would have to absorb the full cost of electricity and gas.
To bridge the deficit, thanks to the 18 per cent hike in defence spending, the government targeted the common Pakistani with an aggressive collection of taxes. The target set was PKR 15.26 trillion.
An official said that while these moves failed to boost the morale of the defence personnel and security forces, the government was forced to change the pay structure.
The new pay structure would apply to all ranks and would be implemented with immediate effect.
An Intelligence Bureau official said the new pay structure would mean that the defence personnel across ranks would get a 25 per cent hike. The official said that Munir immediately approved this, and currently it is in effect. The official said that Munir would go all out to keep the security forces and the defence personnel happy.
This is a cover-up and is meant to act as a morale booster after the humiliating defeat during Operation Sindoor, the official pointed out.
The official also said that, in addition to trying to boost the morale of the forces, this decision was taken to retain personnel in the armed forces.
The Indian operation and the situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have all contributed to the declining morale of the personnel. Although Pakistan has lost every war with India in the past, this is probably the first time that it is facing a situation such as this.
Experts say that Operation Sindoor was a strategic operation, and in just a few minutes, major terror infrastructure was taken down that included the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the training facility of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
An official said the operation had a psychological effect on Munir’s men and hence he is going all out to keep them happy, even though these decisions are affecting the common man a great deal, the official added.
(IANS)
