The General's Republic: How Pakistan's military hijacked the state

PAKISTAN'S political landscape has long been orchestrated not by its elected representatives but by the opaque influence of its military elite, whose grip on the nation's trajectory grows ever more evident with each successive episode.

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The recent visit of Pakistan's Army Chief, General Asim Munir, to the United Statesnoticeably unaccompanied by the Prime Minister-serves as a striking indication of how far civilian authority has been marginalised.

If this were not a sufficiently telling sign, Pakistan's peculiar nomination of Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize further underscores the surreal and unaccountable hybrid regime now presiding over this nuclear-armed state. In this unfolding drama, it is not the democratic will but the triad of Allah, America, and the Army that dictates Pakistan's fate-a trinity that has empowered its generals with unrestrained influence while exacting profound costs from the very nation they claim to defend.

It is widely acknowledged that Pakistan's military has long exercised disproportionate influence over foreign affairs, national security, and internal governance. Yet General Munir's solo diplomatic foray in Washington, absent the country's elected leader, signifies something even more disquieting: the total institutional marginalisation of civilian leadership.

In a functioning democracy, the Prime Minister serves as head of government, the principal figure in bilateral diplomacy, and the voice of the citizenry on the global stage. Munir's lone presence was not simply symbolic-it conveyed an unequivocal message to both the international community and Pakistan's own populace: the Army is the central agent of the state; the Prime Minister is merely ceremonial.

The distorted rationale was further exposed through the bewildering act of nominating Donald Trumpa figure whose presidency was marked by disorder and polarisationfor the Nobel Peace Prize. Even by Pakistan's frequently opaque and labyrinthine political norms, this gesture was confounding.