Imran Khan/Gen Asim Munir: “With Khan having specifically singled out the current army chief as the one trying to undermine him, a one-on-one battle between powerful army chief and popular opposition leader could soon play out”
Quiet Pakistan General vs Imran Khan
By Ben Farmer
One is a charismatic cricketer-turned-politician rallying crowds of devoted supporters against his removal from power.
The other is a quiet general who privately wields significant clout and leads an army that likes to hold the final say in Pakistan’s governance.
Imran Khan’s 13-month-long tussle with Pakistan’s government and military leadership has tipped the country into a political crisis and increasingly resembles a personal duel with Gen Asim Munir.
At the heart of their clash is an apparent falling-out that neither man has acknowledged publicly, stemming from a threat to investigate Mr Khan ’s family for alleged corruption that reportedly led to Gen Munir’s sacking from Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency in 2019.
Imran Khan (pictured) has increasingly singled out Gen Munir as the architect of what he says is a campaign of persecution to keep him from returning to power - AP Photo/KM Chaudary
In a country where the army is publicly spoken of with respect and gratitude, Mr Khan has in recent days launched outspoken personal attacks on the army chief, alleging that Gen Munir is threatening “democracy, our constitution, fundamental rights”.
“He’s basically dismantling the future of this country to protect himself,” the 70-year-old said last week.
The former Pakistan cricket captain has waged a relentless protest campaign since he was forced from power in April 2022 by a parliamentary no-confidence vote.
His allegations that he was squeezed out in a US-backed conspiracy , aided by top generals and his political rivals, have found widespread sympathy even though he has provided little evidence.
Refusing to go quietly, he has rallied massive crowds and demanded snap polls. He has also been shot in an assassination attempt, been hit with scores of legal cases and earlier this month was arrested.
Mr Khan has increasingly singled out Gen Munir as the architect of what he says is a campaign of persecution to keep him from returning to power.
Gen Asim Munir has long been a high flyer, winning the sword of honor as a cadet, and going on to a career of prestigious commands - Reuters
Gen Munir took the army’s top post in November, taking over from Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, but the two had clashed earlier.
The general had long been a highflyer, winning the sword of honor as a cadet, and going on to a career of prestigious commands.
He was head of military intelligence, looking after the army’s internal affairs, and then head of the ISI.
It was as ISI chief that he is reported to have first clashed with Mr Khan, who was then prime minister.
Gen Munir is reported to have informed Mr Khan he wanted to investigate allegations of corruption around his wife and her circle.
Then, in June 2019, he was removed from his post only eight months into what was meant to be a three-year term.
The army offered no explanation for the reshuffle, which saw Gen Munir shipped off to lead an army corps in Punjab and replaced with a hardliner.
‘Described as a straight arrow’
Farzana Shaikh, of London’s Chatham House think tank, said: “Munir has been described as a straight arrow by people who know him and he clearly ran into difficulty with Khan when he decided as head of the ISI to bring to his attention that there were corruption allegations against members of his family.
“It came pretty close to the bone because members of the family center on Khan’s wife. So, Khan is said to have dismissed Munir on those grounds, although Khan has never referred to the reasons, or explained why.
“It’s well known that the two men clashed and this clash is now playing itself out in this latest battle.”
Mr Khan now blames the army chief for scheming to keep him from power, suggesting he fears for his post if Mr Khan regains office. Neither the army nor Gen Munir have responded to Mr Khan’s claims.
The current Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) government has watched in dismay as Mr Khan has grown in popularity in opposition, even after being hit with scores of cases, ranging from corruption to terrorism.
Imran Khan wins a respite
He won a respite earlier this month when the supreme court ruled his arrest was unlawful . Yet the pause is only likely to be temporary, said Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute director at the Wilson Centre think tank.
He said: “It’s doubtful the civilian and military leadership will be deterred by the supreme court decision.
“They don’t want Khan to have a chance to return to power, and this means another arrest could be likely, or also an attempt to try to get him disqualified from office.”
Mr Kugelman added: “With Khan having specifically singled out the current army chief as the one trying to undermine him, a one-on-one battle between powerful army chief and popular opposition leader could soon play out.”
That would be a tough fight for Mr Khan, with the military considered the most powerful political force in the country, and having a long history of choosing favorites to rule.
“Typically, in these battles the military prevails, but with the armed forces on the defensive in ways they haven’t been in years, who knows what direction this confrontation will take,” Mr Kugelman said.
Power of the military
Mr Khan knows well the power the military can bring to bear. He was a favorite of the generals himself in the past and accused of persecuting his own political rivals when in power.
Indeed, he has made it clear his gripe is with the army chief, rather than the institution, or the system that allows the army to call the shots, said Dr Shaikh.
She said: “Really what Imran Khan is aggrieved about is a military institution which has now withdrawn its support from him. What he really wants is a military that’s onside.”
Neither side appears ready to back down yet.
As the duel continues, Mr Khan is likely to be bogged down in more legal cases and find attempts to sow division in the upper ranks of his party and split off his allies.
‘Imran Khan is our lion’
Meanwhile, whatever the government or the military throws at him, he seems to rise in popularity.
“Imran Khan is our lion and a great leader who speaks for Pakistan,” said one supporter called Adil Khan at a protest against Mr Khan’s arrest earlier this month.
“We want elections and nothing else,” said another young follower called Jazib Ali. “These rulers do not want it because their defeat is writing on the wall.”
All this while the country is in an economic crisis and struggling to avoid default . As one leading daily newspaper recently complained in an editorial: “There is an immediate need to defuse the prevailing tensions at this point. The country cannot bear the stress much longer.” – The Telegraph
