Pakistan army's gym rat problem

It's common gym knowledge that over-training a muscle is counter-productive. In Pakistan, the military is that overused muscle. The epicentre of power in the nuclear-armed Islamic country, the military is facing its biggest crisis till date. The bulging biceps were never as sore as they are today. It has been rattled by a barrage of deadly attacks soon after pro-Imran Khan supporters ransacked its self-esteem and rejected its political alternative.

While India has had smooth democratic sailing, both Pakistan and Bangladesh have large patches of military covering their tattered democratic records.

The creation of Bangladesh was the result of Pakistan using its military muscle to try and suppress the nationalist movement in East Pakistan. Under Operation Searchlight, the Pakistani army and militia massacred 7,000 people in one single night on March 25, 1971.

As guns burst open and chaos descended, Pakistan People's Party chief Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto witnessed the burning of Dhaka from the suite of his luxurious hotel. He then thanked the army for keeping Pakistan united. The same military became his nemesis.

General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq removed Bhutto in a coup in 1977 and executed him in 1979 after a contentious trial. Pakistan's tryst with dictators, however, began a decade after its birth when General Ayub Khan imposed martial law after a coup in 1958.

However, the deadly military-mullah concoction was Zia-ul-Haq's gift to Pakistan. The Islamic country became more fundamentalist even as the military spread its roots.

Such was the military's metastatic growth that the muscle became the body. Chaklala became the unquestioned nerve centre of Pakistan's decision-making.

THE ASIM MUNIR VS IMRAN KHAN TEST SERIES

Kaptaan-politician Imran Khan's chapter with now Army chief Gen Asim Munir best exemplifies the penchant for puppet-mastery.

Munir was appointed the head of Pakistan's notorious spy agency ISI by then-Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, but ended up as its most-short-lived head. Khan, then the PM who enjoyed a good rapport with the military establishment, reportedly got Munir fired in 2019 for probing a corruption case against his wife, Bushra Bibi. Munir had been the ISI chief for just eight months.

Imran Khan's term as PM ended prematurely in April 2022 after he lost a vote of no-confidence, which his supporters allege was tilted against him by the men in uniform. Bajwa appointed Munir, the Army chief, in November of that year.

Imran was out of power and his bugbear was the all-powerful army chief.

But there's a plot-twist here for three reasons, including the history of another military dictator, General Parvez Musharraf.

GENERAL MUSHARRAF, MILITARY'S BLUFF AND SOCIAL MEDIA

1. Chucking the military candidate: General Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999 and ruled till 2008, when he was forced to vacate the top seat under intense pressure after public protests. That set the precedent -- people could chuck the Chaklala candidate.

2. Bluff of the "Indian enemy": Also, the biggest bluff of Pakistan's military, that India was its worst enemy, and it needed to step in to keep the nation safe, has been called. Pakistan, a laggard in every sense, isn't even relevant to India, barring its export of terrorism, and Pakistanis realise that.

3. Protests and social media: The military has been controlling the narrative, but that has changed due to social media. People are challenging the military's line, making their dissent public and organising massive protests through social media platforms.

This was evident in two events in the post-Imran period.

1. In May 2023, Pakistanis did the unthinkable. After the arrest of Imran Khan by Pakistan Rangers, his supporters hit the streets against the army and targeted buildings belonging to the military. The residence of the Lahore Corps Commander was ransacked. The brass understood, it was no longer immune.

2. Then came the election of 2024, the first after Imran's term had been cut short. The military establishment threw its entire might to keep him out of power. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was subjected to a crackdown and barred from contesting the polls. PTI candidates contested as Independents, and despite the odds, won a large share of the seats in the Assembly.

PEOPLE'S COUP AGAINST PAKISTAN ARMY

The people cocked a snook at the military through the election of 2024 and showed it that its powers at political manoeuvring were limited.

"This is the biggest institutional crisis that the military has ever faced in Pakistan," Adil Najam, a professor of international affairs at Boston University, told The New York Times. "It is not just that their strategy failed. It’s that the ability of the military to define Pakistan’s politics is now in question."

In 2024, Pakistan witnessed another first, the court-martial of a former ISI chief.

Add to this the brilliant idea of trying to tackle an ethnic nationalist movement in Balochistan through forced disappearances and killings. Then there is the issue of sending back of Pashtuns from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan. The Taliban in Afghanistan are angry, and the repercussions are evident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

JUNIOR ARMY OFFICERS WANT GEN MUNIR TO RESIGN?

After massive protests in cities seeking the release of Imran Khan, the deadly attacks in Balochistan by BLA and the TTP in KP are giving Asim Munir's men sleepless nights. The military is losing support in its traditional belts too.

"BLA and TTP have brought the Pakistan Army under siege! Unfortunately, for the first time, the Pakistan Army is extremely unpopular in its traditional support areas like KP and Punjab -- which also happen to be the breeding ground for its soldiers and officers! Huge achievement for the likes of Gen Bajwa and Gen Asim Munir -- whose incompetence has made it possible," said Moeed Pirzada, a Washington-based TV presenter and columnist.

In his YouTube vlog on March 18, Pirzada claims junior officers of the Pakistan Army have written a letter to Gen Munir, "asking him to resign in the interest of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan". He reposted a copy of the unsigned letter on X, written by "demoralised and angry" junior officers.

In a state of perennial struggle, what is a first for Pakistan is the struggle of its starred generals to create order. Overused, Pakistan's military is suffering from a complete muscle tear and a likely hairline fracture. Ego-lifting, at times, can result in debilitating injuries.