General Munir’s Reckoning

Leaving no room for negotiation or talks, the junior officers in the Pakistan Army have openly demanded the resignation of the Pakistan COAS General Asim Munir in a letter addressed to him. The officers have stingingly indicted the General of misusing his position for utilizing the military for personal and political oppression. The letter demands the resignation of the COAS and threatens dire consequences from the soldiers if Munir fails to comply with the demands.

The letter, drafted by colonels, majors, captains, and jawans, claims that under Munir’s leadership, Pakistan has been teleported back to 1971, when the nation had to bear the defeat, which led to the creation of Bangladesh.

In the letter, the soldiers have criticized Munir of tarnishing the reputation of Pakistani military by suppressing political dissent, controlling free speech and muzzling democratic processes in Pakistan. Additionally, the brutal crackdown following the impeachment of the former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in April 2022 and the Munir’s supposed manipulation of the February 8, 2024, elections was also mentioned in the letter.

 “This is the roar of a people—housewives beaten in the streets, journalists silenced with bullets, students tortured in dungeons, and activists erased for daring to speak—who have borne the brunt of your tyranny since you toppled the last shred of legitimacy in April 2022” wrote the officers.

Censuring Munir for the poor state of Pakistan’s economy, the letter stated “The economy’s a corpse — and yet you strut in GHQ like some tin-pot dictator, extending your term to 2027 while we starve.”

Expressing their frustration, the disgruntled officers compared the state of the Pakistan army to that of a mongrel who satiated its hunger by feasting on its own people.

The officers demand that the command be transferred to a council of senior officers who would “restore the institution’s integrity” and hold Munir accountable for his actions. However, the analysts believe that regardless of Munir’s resignation, there are divisions already present within the Army which may be too difficult to mend.

Referring to the Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) attack on the Jaffar Express on 11 March 2025 in Balochistan, the soldiers voiced their disappointment by stating “We lost Balochistan that day; we lost our dignity”.

The officers further added, “The BLA’s taunts echo louder than your hollow untruthful ISPR press releases, and the rank-and-file who once stood proud now hang their heads."

Mentioning the former PM Imran Khan, the letter castigates Munir and the Generals who orchestrated the ouster of Imran Khan as a move which they stated “plunged Pakistan to depths unseen since Yahya’s disgrace."

Pakistan’s strategy has been consistent with manipulating and controlling state’s institutions for survival of the hybrid regime which is run by military and fielded by a political puppet in the front. The letter comes at the time when a former US senator Joe Wilson introduced the “Pakistan Democracy Act” in the US parliament. The bipartisan bill calls for sanctions on Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The 2016 Act empowers the US government the authority to levy sanctions on foreign government officials worldwide who are found in violation of human rights. On basis of this act, the assets of the individual/individuals would be frozen while the entry into US will be prohibited. If the bill is passed then the sanctions may be lifted by the US President only if Pakistan transitions to civilian-led governance and only if the political prisoners, including Khan are released from their detention.

Rep. Joe Wilson, who has been ardently calling for the release of Imran Khan has stressed on the role of Pakistan’s military in Khan’s incarceration. He has urged the Trump administration to utilize diplomatic measures to build pressure on Pakistan military for Khan’s release.

Khan’s detention and the evolving nature of Pakistan military to control democratic outcomes has been an important debate in Washington, amongst both the Democrats and the Republicans.

Imran Khan was ousted from power in 2022, post his open rift with the Pakistan military which had previously installed him. However, at the time the former COAS General Bajwa and the ISI heads recognizing their failed experiment to install Khan at the helm of their hybrid regime were forced to speak against him. A witch hunt was conducted against the military officers, workers from Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) and sympathizers of Khan. Many were placed in detention and tried as political prisoners under the pretext of anarchist activities against the government.

There were claims of the 2024 Pakistani general election being rigged by the military leading to the eventual instalment of the Munir preferred candidate from Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif as the PM.

Khan has been detained on series of charges to keep him in check and confined to prison since his ouster.

Post his ouster, Khan is reported to have written several open letters to General Munir, pleading with him to restore democracy and asking for the non-interference of military in civil politics. The letters were dismissed and forwarded to the office of Shehbaz Sharif.

The political discord around Khan have only exacerbated since May 2023. Several protests broke across Pakistan following his arrest. The members of PTI party clashed with security forces, which led to many being arrested including the defection of several party leaders under pressure from the military.

It is imperative to mention, in February 2025, a case was registered against General Asim Munir in United Kingdom on basis of the complaints made by the members of the Pakistani diaspora. The case was registered with London’s Metropolitan Police owing to the heavy handed military attack on protestors, including the use of live rounds during a protest in Islamabad in November 2024.

General Munir was in England in February 2025, attending the 7^th Regional Stabilisation Conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where he delivered the keynote address on “The Emerging World Order and Pakistan’s Future Outlook.”

During his visit to UK, Barrister Michael Polak formally wrote to the Attorney General for England and Wales and requested consent to prosecute General Amir Munir for crimes against humanity in relation to the ‘Islamabad Massacre’ carried out against protestors on November 25 and 26 in 2024.

Polak stressed that on November 25 and 26, people in Pakistan launched a protest against the Shehbaz Sharif government in Islamabad.

The protesters were met with military fire which left several casualties. It was reported that upon the orders of Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the army opened fire on the protesting civilians.

Following the massacre, Shehbaz Sharif boasted about the collaboration of government enforcement agencies in efficiently eliminating the protestors.

The case against Pakistani Army Chief General Amir Munir is registered to privately prosecute him for torture, under British law’s 134 Criminal Justice Act 1988 and Crimes against Humanity under the International Criminal Court Act 2001. This has been further referred to SO15 the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) which investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and torture.

It was reported that Pakistan had made several rounds of arrests of journalists who covered the November 2024 massacre. The hushing of media in regards to the internal conflicts or even criticism of the government is a common practice in Pakistan.

To make matters worse, Pakistan’s steam roller approach against the Baloch, in Quetta, Turbat, Panjgur, and other areas of Balochistan, has led to several protests in the region. This has transpired into killing, arresting, and displacement of many activists at the hand of the law enforcement agencies.

On 22 March 2025, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a prominent human rights activist and leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) was arrested during a pre-dawn raid on a peaceful sit-in. The protests were in regard to the release of the missing Baloch who were abducted, detained or forcibly displaced by the Pakistan law enforcement agencies.

The activist was falsely accused of terrorism, sedition, and murder while the Pakistani police were not held accountable for shooting and killing three unarmed Baloch civilians at the protest. Pakistan’s heavy handed approach to squash protests or criminalize those who criticise the government has already added fuel to the conflagration burning against it. With similar unrest following in Sindh, POJK and other areas of Pakistan, owing to the political instability, grievances of citizens going unaddressed, random and arbitrary detentions, extra judicial killings, followed with economic instability in provinces which already accuse the government of exploiting their resources to fuel Punjab, has left an environment if uncertainty for those in Islamabad.

The Chinese presence in Pakistan has also left the Baloch, Pashtuns and Sindhis with a sense of insecurity as they feel marginalized in their own provinces as Pakistan tries to accommodate the Chinese for its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Due to these developments, there has been an uptick in insurgencies and terror attacks orchestrated on the military and Chinese natives working in the country. Under, Munir several crackdowns were ordered, where brute force was employed against the civilians as well.

In October 2024, Pakistan’s government amended its constitution, authorizing parliament to select the Supreme Court chief justice.

This development was viewed as an infringement on judicial independence. Previously, the judge second in command would take over as the country’s chief justice upon the retirement of the top judge. It can be inferred that the military at the time sought to execute its influence even in matters of judiciary, to achieve its desired outcome through its already installed puppet government.

It is apparent that the farce of democracy in Munir’s led authoritarian regime has misfired. The question of Munir’s extended tenure proving to be successful in future also remains uncertain, especially when his dirty laundry is being aired nationally and internationally.