Asim Munir Is Making Pakistan A Global Influencer

'In a volatile global market, India is pursuing a low-risk, low-return policy, akin to a SIP -- slow, steady investment.'
'Pakistan is following a high-risk, high-return policy.'

Although it is becoming harder and harder to get accurate real-time information from Pakistan, some channels still work.

To the question -- "who is the real force in Pakistan powering United States-Iran talks?" -- to a Pakistani colleague, the reply was: "The army, of course!"

This is as if to say this should be patently obvious to everyone!

Reports suggest Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar have been hard at work, rallying round the country's allies and working the phones to influence Iran and the United States to call a ceasefire.

But the power behind the throne in the negotiations, without a shred of doubt, is Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Munir is not just a field marshal, only the second in Pakistan's history.

He is chief of army staff (COAS) and the chief of defence forces (CDF).

All this is underwritten by the Pakistan constitution's 27th amendment, passed last year.

It grants life-time immunity from prosecution to a five-star military officer, a rank now held only by him.

The removal of the CDF requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority (it only takes a simple majority to remove an elected prime minister).

The rank puts him over the heads of the air and naval forces.

As CDF he exercises full command over the Strategic Plans Division, which manages Pakistan's nuclear stockpile.

His tenure as army chief, a post he has held since 2022, has been reset as CDF for five years until 2030.

Pakistan will hold general elections in 2029.

No prizes for guessing why it is a five-year reset and not four or three.

US Iran talks role

Why all these precautions?

Consider the circumstances in which he became COAS.

In 2019, then prime minister Imran Khan removed Munir as director general, Inter-Services Intelligence, replacing him with Faiz Hameed.

Munir was relegated to quarter master general, which, any Pakistan (or Indian) army officer will tell you, is a humiliating demotion.

He was removed because he told Mr Khan about corruption in his household, implicating Mr Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi.

When Mr Sharif became prime minister, he put Hameed in prison, a rare case of a three-star officer being court-martialled, and appointed Munir to the top army job.

Islamic diplomacy strategy

The general moved fast.

He outlined a decisive policy on Afghanistan and the Taliban regime, irritated by the actions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, allegedly operating under protection from Kabul, and rewrote Pakistan's policy in Central Asia, the Gulf -- and Iran.

There is an added dimension to him.

He is a hafiz, which means he has memorised every verse of the Quran.

Earlier in his career, as Pakistan's defence attache in Riyadh, he forged lasting relationships and elected to stay back after his tenure to 'refresh his understanding and memory of the Quran', he told the local media.

How much this adds to his martial prowess we may never know.

But what it has done is start a new phase of 'Islamic diplomacy', making Pakistan a self-styled leader of the Islamic world, including the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Last year, a decades-long informal understanding between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was cemented into a 'Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement'.

The pact clearly states: 'Aggression against one would be considered as an aggression against both.'

So Munir has forced Saudi Arabia to take sides should Pakistan attack India, something that the Saudis have been reluctant to do.

It is another matter that Riyadh is feeling a bit cheated.

When it asked Pakistan for air-defence systems to protect it against Iranian missile attacks, Islamabad was unwilling and unable to help.

For years, Saudi Arabia has been asking Pakistan to deploy soldiers against its war against insurgent Houthis in Yemen.

Pakistan has been as non-committal now as it was in the past.

India Pakistan strategic contrast

In 2025, Pakistan mounted an attack on unarmed civilians in Pahalgam, killing only Hindus.

In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor.

Pakistan considered Munir had done a great job and he was made field marshal.

But he got more than that.

For the first time in 15 years, a US president hosted a Pakistan military chief to lunch at the White House without aides.

Analysts believe that the idea of attacking Iran's nuclear weapons was planted at this meeting.

Later, Munir's only job was 'taking care' of Iran via his contact with the Revolutionary Guard.

Between then and now, President Donald Trump has had big words of praise for him on at least 10 occasions, calling him 'a great fighter', 'a very important guy', and an 'exceptional human being'.

For years, India has been able to ensure that most world capitals blackball Pakistan for being a State sponsor of terror.

But now, with the help of Turkiye, a social media charm offensive is on, projecting Pakistan as a warm and fuzzy peace-loving facilitator.

All Munir's work.

A diplomat put it best.

"In a volatile global market, India is pursuing a low-risk, low-return policy, akin to a SIP (systematic investment plan) -- slow, steady investment. Pakistan is following a high-risk, high-return policy, like a venture capitalist or a hedge-fund manager.

"Its returns are no doubt good. But there's also very high risk."

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff