In a statement made in Islamabad, Pakistani army chief General Munir urged Pakistanis to teach their children the “true history” of Pakistan, which he claimed was built upon the segregation between the different cultures, ambitions, and ideologies of Hindus and Pakistanis.
Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir’s recent statement, in which he referred to Kashmir as Islamabad’s ‘jugular vein’, is being considered as one of the trigger points that instigated the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. In a statement that appeared more centred on India than dealing with the state of affairs in Pakistan, General Munir urged Pakistanis to teach their children the “true history” of Pakistan, which he claimed was built upon the segregation between the different cultures, ambitions, and ideologies of Hindus and Pakistanis.
Munir’s statement also touched upon Pakistan’s “commitment to support the Kashmiri brethren” in their fight against New Delhi. Munir’s statement was more about promoting divisive rhetoric, delineating religious intolerance by trying to differentiate between ‘Hindus’ and ‘Muslims’.
Pakistani Army chief’s provocative statement
The Pakistani Army chief’s provocative statement, which focused on the differential treatment of Hindus and Muslims, is being seen as one of the major reasons to have bolstered The Resistance Force (TRF), a LeT proxy’s nefarious designs against India. Intelligence assessments hint that Saifullah Kasuri could be one of the major plotters of the Pahalgam attack.
Terrorism, an unwritten diplomatic tool in Islamabad
Moreover, what the Pakistani Army is resorting to is not new but rather a leaf out of its old playbook. Whenever the army in Pakistan gets cornered and domestic issues appear to blow the lid off, it resorts to its anti-India rhetoric and actions. Rhetoric being what the general said that day, while the action was palpable yesterday (April 22).
Imran Khan’s arrest a googly for Munir’s army
The ouster of former PM Imran Khan marked a significant event in Pakistan’s politics. The cricketer-turned-politician’s arrest garnered him popularity with the normal Pakistani citizenry, which believed the military would not allow things to change in the country, unleashing protests. The continuous pressure compels the Pakistani army to undertake steps to transform the public anger into anti-India rhetoric.
Cash-strapped, fragile Pakistani economy
The situation in Pakistan is also exacerbated by its fragile economy. The lack of resources invites demonstrations and public anger. With no government having the legitimacy to handle things, and as a famous saying about Pakistan goes, it has no army; rather, its army has a nation called Pakistan. The army, at last, comes to the rescue of the cash-strapped nation with the same old playbook of pumping in more anti-India rhetoric with its manifestations in Pahalgam-like attacks.
A corrupt, unaccountable, but ‘wealthy’ army
Corruption has emerged as a major issue in the Pakistani Army, which not only impacts the efficacy but also tarnishes its overall image. The Pakistani military itself is involved in economic activities spanning a diverse spectrum, including agriculture to banking, to telecommunications.
There are entities in Pakistan, such as the Fauji Foundation and the Army Welfare Trust, and these are accused of amassing wealth in a nation which struggles for basic amenities. The entities set up by the Pakistani army operate with minimal transparency and accountability, contributing significantly to the proliferation of a culture of corruption in Pakistan’s scheme of things.
Lending agencies snub Pakistan
Resource mobilisation has remained a challenge for the Pakistani army. Interestingly, it has neither been able to mobilise resources internally. At the external front, the lending agencies, including the IMF and World Bank, don’t deem Pakistan fit to receive a loan, given its inability to meet the fund’s conditions to restructure its debt.
Unstable Balochistan to hostile Afghanistan: Pakistan Army drubbed simultaneously
Additionally, with the instability in Balochistan and train hijacking becoming a case study, the Pakistani army finds itself in a catch-22 sort of situation. An army, already battling internal rebellion from the Baloch Liberation Army, also gets pitched against an unfriendly Taliban regime across the Durand Line. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is another headache that keeps the Pakistani Army on tenterhooks.