Pakistani people criticise Munir; Fear further damage to democracy after his promotion

People of Pakistan have been criticising Army Chief Asif Munir for suppressing democratic values and killing decent and yet being elevated to the rare position of Field Marshal.  A ‘self-proclaimed Field Marshal’, ‘Failed Marshal’, deceiver, villain, and dictator are among the common epithets that have been hurled at Munir by people living in Pakistan and abroad. They held Munir responsible for the suppression of democratic values and civil rights in the country. 

A billboard in New York’s Times Square mocked Munir calling him 'Fraud Marshal' and 'Liar'.  “A loser in military confrontation against India, Asim Munir has been promoted for toppling the Country's Govt & for nailing democracy into the grave! A mirror of corrupt Pak Army!” said a Pakistani national named Nighat Abbas.   Another Pakistani national Zaheer Rather said the billboard embarrassed Pakistan. “Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir exposed as nothing but a “Fraud Marshal” — trolled mercilessly in one of the world’s busiest markets. A reflection of the global contempt for Pak’s failed & corrupt Army leadership!” he said.  

After Munir was given an extension in 2024, many had expressed contempt and concern, fearing a more severe military crackdown. Zalmay Khalilzad, former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, said the tenure extension would prolong the military iron grip. “The consequences will be the continuation of Gen. Munir's damaging policies resulting in more polarisation, instability and violence, less freedom, even more brain drain, and a weak economy,” Khalilzad said.     

Questioning the decision to promote Munir, a Pakistani national named Abdullah Salman asked “Is this a formal declaration of dictatorship, Pakistan's democracy just got a little more fragile today.  Taking a dig at Munir, activist and senior journalist Haider Mehdi said the Pakistani Army was cancer that corroded democracy, destroyed national trust and subverted the people’s will. “The path to salvation begins by removing the primary obstruction: General Asim Munir. The second: the institutionalised abuse and political misuse of the Pakistan Army’s power,” he said.  

Salman Ahmad, a New York-based development activist of Pakistani origin, equated Munir and the military with a mafia cartel. “His emboldened stance post-Pahalgam, where his inflammatory rhetoric fuelled violence, shows a general who thrives on chaos, using it to justify his crackdown while Pakistan teeters on the brink. His mercenary machine, cloaked in military honour, mocks the ideals of democracy and fairness,” Ahmed said.   

Many Pakistanis slammed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the Field Marshal elevation just to ensure military support and stabilise his government.  “In a real democracy, the media covers elected leaders. In Pakistan, corrupt puppets and boot lickers like Shehbaz Sharif are handpicked by Gen. Asim Munir, who now floods the media to promote himself like a self-proclaimed king. Shameless idiots,” said Irha Khan, a media personality.  Even former Prime Minister Imran Khan had termed Munir’s elevation a “massacre of democracy, the rule of law, and the rights of the people.”  

Supporters of Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been expressing their opposition to Munir on different media platforms. Neither the ruling political parties nor the judiciary of Pakistan has had the guts to hold Munir or the Army accountable, said Ayesha Siddiqa, a Senior Fellow at the Department of War Studies at London-based King’s College. “Munir has already outlined his vision for the state: a “hard state”, hellbent on crushing dissent, refusing dialogue with those that appear belligerent, and upholding the national ideology through military means,” Siddiqa said.   

The latest military conflict with India has helped Munir make his grip on power stronger, said  Michael Kugelman, director of the Washington-based South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre. “Munir has now emerged as one of the biggest winners of the latest India-Pakistan conflict,” he said. “The uncompromising Munir—emboldened by the military’s change of fortune—will likely take it as carte blanche to double down on the repressive policies that have generated hostility, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” 

Washington-based security analyst Sahar Khan said the increasing Munir and his military’s power would be “damaging to Pakistan’s already damaged democratic credentials.”  Some political leaders and activists opposed the decision to strengthen Munir, which they said would kill democracy. PTI supporter Jehanzeb Paracha said “Until dictator Asim Munir goes, Pakistan has no chance of seeing revival of democracy, human rights, justice system, and constitution. List of his crimes is never ending.”