Asim Munir, Pakistani army chief, probably wants to be like dictator Zia, and politicians are playing into his hands | Reasons, listed

Pahalgam terror attack can lead to Indo Pak war that will help Army Chief Asim Munir emerge as Pakistan leader:  Pakistani politicians, who have had a rather chequered relationship with its military, are now rallying behind its army, with the defence minister saying there could be an 'all-out-war' if India goes for an all-out attack in response to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22. Such a stance is exactly what the Pakistani Army, and specifically its chief Gen Asim Munir would want, given the current political and economic situation of the South Asian nation. Pakistan desperately needs something that unifies it. A war could be just that. What Pakistani politicians do not realise is that a war with India could only lead to the sidelining of politicians and eventually the rise of dictatorships.

Asim Munir, an inspiration for terrorists: Pahalgam attack came exactly a week after Pakistan Army chief said 'Kashmir is our jugular vein'

Last time Pakistan went into a war with India, a dictatorship emerged under Pervez Musharraf. This time, Asim Munir may be hoping for a similar turn of events.

In all these years, politicians helped the Army get into wars with India. Look at what Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said: “If there is an all-out attack or something like that, then obviously there will be an all-out war.”

He was responding to questions from UK-based Sky News on the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 Indian civilians, even as he accused India of 'staging' the attack in Baisaran valley.

Asif belongs to the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's ruling PML- (N) party. 

Pak Army Chief Asim Munir: Son of imam, 'Islamic scholar', may have an Indo-Pak war to deal with. What is his story?

But pause here for a moment, and look at what the former minister from PML-N's arch rival, Imran Khan's PTI party, said. In response to India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the terror attack, Fawad Choudhry wrote on social media: "Pakistan is politically divided but united as a nation. [But] if attacked or threatened by India, all groups—PML-N, PPP, PTI, JUI, and others—will rally together under the Pakistani flag to defend our homeland." 

This is the perennial problem with Pakistani political-military relationship. The politicians play right into the hands of the military.

And it could eventually bring Gen Asim Munir to the centre, both as the leader of its military, and possibly of the nation.

Gen Munir wants a return to the Islamic roots of Pakistan, and a war can help that

Asim Munir is a military chief steeped in Islamic learning. His father was an imam, and he learned the Quran by heart. He uses Quranic verses in his speeches. He does not miss a chance to share his knowledge of Islam at public fora.

It is at one such event, addressing the overseas Pakistanis, that he re-invoked the two-nation theory and the Hindu-Muslim binary as justification for the creation of Pakistan. He exhorted the gathering to tell future generations Pakistan's story. In the same speech, he made invective-laden remarks about Kashmir, describing it as the 'jugular vein' of Pakistan.

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Kashmir, Islam, Hindu-Muslim identity clash, and India: This is the deadly cocktail that helped Pakistan leaders stay in power. India has always been misused for domestic political gain. The politician-army chief duo of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul Haq did exactly the same. They are behind the 'bleed India through a thousand cuts' doctrine of the Pakistan military: low intensity conflict and insurgencies fomented and backed by Islamabad to make India suffer.

Zia eventually oversaw the ouster and hanging of Bhutto, and became Pakistan's military dictator.

Pakistan Army is fed up of political instability, and may be tired of pulling strings from behind

After Musharraf exited power, there were many years of relative political stability in Pakistan. Elections were held and there were relatively peaceful transfers of power. But the army continued to pull strings from behind. It got tired of Nawaz Sharif's rule, and propped up former cricketer Imran Khan. It is no secret that the election that led to Khan becoming the PM was stage-managed by the army. But then, Imran Khan had different ideas on how to run the nation, and army did not like it.

The Army now wants to be back in charge, and a war with India is best excuse for that.

Imran Khan is the biggest threat to Munir, and only nationalism can rally all parties 

Overseas Pakistanis are the hope of Pakistan, but they have traditionally been mostly aligned with Imran Khan. That's the reason why Munir chose to address the overseas Pakistani convention and used the kind of rhetoric not suitable for a man in uniform.

Weaning away supporters of Khan is not easy. It is well-known in Pakistan that Khan is among the most ardent critics of Munir. In a letter from jail this February, Khan reportedly criticised Munir on a number of issues: Pakistan's economic uncertainties, the conduct of the last general election that led to Shahbaz Sharif becoming prime minister, among other things.

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Khan talked about the “widening distance between the people and the establishment."

He asked the army chief to reconsider some of the policies of 'the establishment', which is code word for the armed forces controlling practically all aspects of life in Pakistan.

Khan said these policies were 'fomenting resentment' among the public and widening the gap between civilians and the military. 

Only something unifying can change Pakistani people's attitude towards the Army. A war with India could just be the anecdote.