Pakistan’s new Army chief was appointed eventually after at least a month of uncertainty. Against the wishes of his political rival Imran Khan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chose Lieutenant-General Syed Asim Munir.
The idea that the new general would support the political administration and further expose his financial mismanagement or abuse of public resources infuriated the former prime minister. There may be further Toshakhana stories that surface and damage his reputation with his fans and most definitely with the Army.
Since Imran Khan removed Lt. Gen. Munir from his position as head of the ISI in response to warnings about the First Lady’s suspected wrongdoing, he is well known for being opposed to Imran Khan.
However, this simply proves that Munir is equally capable of keeping an eye on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) administration while also refusing to be their man. As long as the new Army chief doesn’t lean towards Imran Khan and makes sure that his Pakistan Army returns to a center position in handling the two political parties, Nawaz Sharif, who played a significant role in Munir being the government’s choice, doesn’t want complete allegiance either. The PMLN may be able to reenter Pakistan’s political scene because of this one element alone.
The only issue is that the Army might also not want the PMLN to rule Punjab. Imran Khan and the Sharifs shouldn’t have an easy time winning the upcoming general election.
