In a move that critics say pushes Pakistan deeper into military authoritarianism, Army Chief General Asim Munir has now consolidated sweeping control over all three branches of the country’s armed forces Army, Navy and Air Force along with direct command influence over Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Observers warn that this unprecedented concentration of power in a single military office marks one of the most significant shifts in Pakistan's civil–military imbalance in decades.

According to senior defence insiders, key strategic decisions once dispersed across various high-level military and civilian bodies are now increasingly routed through Munir’s command. This includes critical oversight of nuclear deployment protocols, intelligence coordination, national security policy, and now through recent structural changes a more direct influence over Air Force and Navy operations. Such a consolidation, critics argue, effectively transforms Pakistan’s military chief into the country’s most powerful individual, overshadowing the elected government and reducing the civilian leadership to a ceremonial façade.

Civilian Government Further Marginalized

The strengthening of Munir’s authority starkly exposes Pakistan’s long-standing democratic weaknesses. Rather than acting as an independent counterbalance, the current civilian administration appears to have ceded further strategic ground to Rawalpindi in exchange for political survival. Cabinet ministers publicly praise Munir, while opposition voices especially those aligned with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) warn that the state has formally entered an era of total military dominance.

Analysts note that Pakistan’s National Command Authority (NCA), which supposedly governs nuclear oversight, has effectively become symbolic. Real operational and strategic leverage lies with the military establishment, now more tightly controlled by Munir than by any previous chief in recent memory.

Critics Say Pakistan Has Become a ‘Uniformed Autocracy’

Political commentators describe the shift as Pakistan’s transition into a “uniformed autocracy,” where the military chief wields unchecked influence over national policy, foreign relations, internal security, and nuclear doctrine. Dissenters argue that Pakistan is drifting toward a one-man command system reminiscent of past dictatorships, but with even less transparency.

Human rights groups accuse the military establishment of running parallel governance deciding who can speak, who can run for office, who goes to jail, and which narratives dominate the media. The crackdown on dissent following Imran Khan’s ouster and subsequent imprisonment is cited as evidence of how deeply the establishment is willing to intervene in politics.

Nuclear Control Raises Alarm Internationally

Munir’s strengthened role in nuclear decision-making has not gone unnoticed globally. While Pakistan has long maintained tight military oversight of its nuclear assets, the further centralization of authority under a single general raises concerns about stability, especially in a state already battling political fracture, economic collapse, and rising extremism.

International observers worry that Pakistan’s nuclear policy once shaped by a combination of strategic committees and institutional checks now risks becoming subject to the preferences of one military commander. The potential for miscalculation, analysts warn, increases when power is not balanced by civilian oversight or multi-institutional review.

Public Trust Erodes as Military Expands Its Grip

For ordinary Pakistanis, Munir’s consolidation of power is a reminder that the military remains the country’s true governing force. With inflation soaring, democratic institutions weakened, and political freedoms shrinking, many view the tightening military grip as a path away from reform and deeper into authoritarian stagnation. Even within Pakistan’s elite circles, concerns are rising about the lack of internal checks on the military establishment. Some retired officials caution that too much power vested in one individual not only destabilizes governance but also risks internal fractures within the armed forces.

A Nation Under Command, Not Constitution

Asim Munir’s ascent to controlling all three defence forces and the nuclear command structure marks a decisive moment in Pakistan’s political trajectory. Rather than strengthening democratic institutions, the move signals a further retreat from civilian rule and entrenches a system where the constitution is secondary to the military hierarchy. 

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