Opinion | Growing Domestic & International Challenges

For Field Marshal Asim Munir, the real test is whether the military establishment can escape this cycle of control, confrontation and recurring crisis. Unless Pakistan addresses the political grievances, economic weaknesses and security failures beneath its current difficulties, the concentration of power may increasingly become a source of vulnerability rather than a guarantee of stability.

Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir has accumulated extraordinary influence over the country’s political and security establishment. Yet, the concentration of power has not eliminated Pakistan’s deepest problems. Instead, it has placed greater responsibility on a military leadership that has long claimed a central role in safeguarding the country. Political divisions, economic dependence, militant violence and worsening regional tensions continue to expose the limitations of Pakistan’s approach to governance and security.

The most serious challenge confronting Munir is the crisis of political legitimacy. Pakistan’s military has repeatedly intervened, directly or indirectly, in civilian politics, leaving elected governments struggling to exercise authority independently. Under Munir, the military’s institutional dominance has become even more entrenched. The expansion of military influence, restrictions on political opposition and the growing concentration of power within the state have raised concerns about democratic accountability. Such an arrangement may strengthen the establishment’s immediate control, but it leaves Pakistan vulnerable to deeper political resentment and institutional distrust.

The continued confrontation surrounding former prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party illustrates the depth of the political divide. When political competition becomes a prolonged struggle between the establishment and its opponents, democratic institutions lose credibility and public dissatisfaction intensifies. Pakistan cannot resolve this crisis merely through administrative control or restrictions on dissent. The unresolved question is whether its military leadership can tolerate a political order in which authority is genuinely accountable to the public.

Economic instability presents an equally difficult test. Pakistan’s recurring dependence on international financial assistance reflects longstanding weaknesses in revenue collection, productivity, energy management and export competitiveness. For ordinary Pakistanis, economic difficulties translate into uncertainty over electricity bills, food prices, employment and household savings. Munir’s expanding influence makes it increasingly difficult for the military establishment to distance itself from the consequences of economic mismanagement. If the armed forces exercise decisive influence over national policy, they must also face questions about the outcomes of that influence. Public confidence cannot be sustained indefinitely through displays of authority while fundamental economic problems remain unresolved.

Pakistan’s security crisis further undermines the establishment’s claims of control. Militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan continues to threaten security personnel and civilians. Despite decades of military operations and extensive security expenditure, the state has not eliminated the networks capable of mounting deadly attacks. The persistence of violence raises difficult questions about the effectiveness of a strategy that has relied heavily on force without resolving the grievances and governance failures that contribute to instability.

Relations with Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul rejects Pakistan’s accusations and disputes its account of the security crisis. Cross-border strikes and recurring clashes have demonstrated how quickly these tensions can escalate. Rather than securing a lasting solution, the confrontation threatens to create additional insecurity along Pakistan’s western frontier.

The situation also exposes the limitations of Pakistan’s regional strategy. Islamabad cannot indefinitely blame external actors for every internal security failure while avoiding difficult questions about its own policies, intelligence assessments and past regional calculations. Accusations against neighbouring countries require evidence, and external disputes cannot substitute for effective domestic governance.

Relations with India remain another major source of strategic uncertainty. The history of conflict, the Kashmir dispute and repeated military confrontations have imposed enormous costs on both countries. Pakistan’s leadership continues to devote considerable attention to strategic rivalry, even as its domestic economy and security environment demand sustained attention. Military posturing may serve political narratives, but it cannot resolve the underlying disputes or eliminate the danger of escalation between two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Munir’s international profile also faces its own limitations. Pakistan’s efforts to cultivate influential partnerships with the United States, China and Gulf countries cannot guarantee lasting economic relief or diplomatic leverage. International relationships are shaped by national interests, not permanent obligations. External support may offer temporary breathing space, but it cannot compensate for weak political institutions, persistent insecurity and unresolved economic vulnerabilities. Pakistan’s foreign-policy ambitions will remain constrained if its internal problems continue to undermine its credibility.

The central contradiction in Munir’s position is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. The more power the military establishment concentrates, the greater the responsibility it assumes for Pakistan’s successes and failures. It cannot claim decisive influence over national affairs while treating political instability, economic distress and persistent insecurity as problems belonging exclusively to civilian governments or foreign adversaries.

Pakistan’s challenges are interconnected. Political exclusion deepens public distrust; economic hardship intensifies frustration; militancy exposes security weaknesses; and regional hostility diverts attention from domestic reform. These problems cannot be resolved through authority alone.

For Field Marshal Asim Munir, the real test is whether the military establishment can escape this cycle of control, confrontation and recurring crisis. Unless Pakistan addresses the political grievances, economic weaknesses and security failures beneath its current difficulties, the concentration of power may increasingly become a source of vulnerability rather than a guarantee of stability. The consequences will be felt not only by its leadership but also by millions of Pakistanis whose future remains tied to decisions made at the highest levels of the state.

Author can be reached at Email id : aatiflonekashmir@gmail.com