Eight years ago, Pakistan’s ex-President and former chief of Pakistan Army Gen Pervez Musharraf proudly claimed that “Military rule has always brought the country [Pakistan] back on track, whereas civilian governments have always derailed it.” Though a very strong and equally contentious statement, this pompous declaration went largely unnoticed and there was a reason for this — after October 27, 1958, when Gen [Later Field Marshal] Ayub Khan seized power through a coup, Pakistan has never seen a true civilian government– a fact that Pakistan Army’s another former chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa himself admitted.

Readers would recall that in his 2022 farewell speech, Gen Bajwa had broached the serious issue of burgeoning public criticism of Pakistan’s military, revealing that “the reason for this is the constant meddling by the army in politics for the last 70 years,” while acknowledging that this practice was “unconstitutional.” But in June this year, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during an interview to Arab News accepted that Pakistan was following a “hybrid model” of democracy where the military and politicians share power. Arab News aptly termed this revelation “an open secret in political circles but a rare public admission by a serving (government) official”.

While Asif accepted that Pakistan didn’t have “an ideal democratic government,” he nevertheless displayed his subservience to the military by defending this ludicrous undertaking as a practical necessity until Pakistan was “out of the woods as far as economic and governance problems are concerned.” The surprising part is that at a time when things on both these fronts are going from bad to worse, Asif, shamelessly contradicting ground realities like a besotted apologist, still claims that this arrangement is “doing wonders.”

By stealing the peoples’ mandate through indiscriminate rigging and brazenly targeting former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), field marshal Syed Asim Munir has pushed Pakistan into the quagmire of political instability. However, he’s not perturbed because by orchestrating installation of the pliable Shehbaz Sharif government, just like a whimsical puppeteer, field marshal Munir can run the country the way he likes.

Pakistan’s economy too is suffering due to the prevailing political vacuum. Al Jazeera has aptly quoted Lahore University of Management Sciences economic professor Ali Hasnain saying, “The only way out of this dilemma for Pakistan is to undertake deep structural reforms of the sort which no government has shown a commitment to yet, so that both the economy and defence spending can stay robust over the medium and long terms.” But the ‘hybrid model’ government headed by field marshal Munir has shown no inclination for initiating meaningful structural reforms.

With due respect to his devout religious outlook, airing hostile views against citizens doesn’t behoove a field marshal who is running a country. Curbing legitimate dissent by declaring that political opponents are agents of foreign powers and citing existential incompatibility between Hindus and Muslims has further vitiated the already hostile environment in Pakistan. Use of excessive force against peaceful protesters in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir [PoJK] and in its hinterland also breeds public resentment and kick starts a cycle of violence.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and Balochistan are live examples of how the Pakistan Army has precipitated a humongous crisis by denying locals their legitimate rights and using excessive force [including aerial strikes] against innocent civilians as well as subjecting them to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

Most importantly, concealing lapses by blaming neighbours [India and Afghanistan] for all the woes in Pakistan further promotes public hatred towards the people of these countries. Resultantly, rather than mending fences through dialogue and living cordially like friendly neighbours, democratically elected governments in Pakistan cannot afford to do so as any such move is viewed by the public as outright treason.

But this is exactly what Rawalpindi wants.

The extra-constitutional powers that Rawalpindi enjoys spring from the delusion that it has successfully created over the years in the minds of the public by presenting the ever-looming threat of extinction ‘Islamic’ Pakistan faces from a ‘Hindu’ India. So, whenever things aren’t going too well for the army, it starts titling at the ‘Hindustan’ windmills, and field marshal Munir’s recent resurrection of the “Two Nation Theory” is an example.

Returning to the question of who’s in actual control in Pakistan. Just last month, in a TV interview, Aziz was asked, “In most countries, the head of the army answers to the defence minister. In your country, you, the defence minister, answer to the head of the army, don’t you? Rather than give a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ reply, the Pakistani Defence Minister said, “No, it’s not like that… I’m a political appointee.” With Aziz choosing to use two disjointed sentences to answer instead of giving a one-word reply, it’s absolutely clear as to who’s in actual control in Pakistan!

Zeshan Syed

Pakistan once again revealed its disregard for human life in the month of September 2025. Fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force dropped LS-6 bombs on the small village of Matre Dara in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing at least thirty civilians, including women and children. Within moments, homes were destroyed, families erased, and lives shattered forever. The military claimed it was targeting militants, but those who died were innocent villagers. There was no accountability, no remorse, and no transparency just silence and indifference. For the people of Pakistan, this was not an isolated tragedy but yet another chapter in a long history of state cruelty against its own citizens.

What makes this tragedy even more glaring is the hypocrisy of Pakistan’s rulers. While the military establishment kills its own people, it continues to preach to the world about “freedom” and “human rights” in Jammu Kashmir. The same state that drops bombs on women and children in Tirah Valley has the audacity to claim moral superiority over India. It is this double standard that defines Pakistan today a nation where the generals rule like kings, the politicians act as their puppets, and the common citizen lives in fear.

The so-called leadership of Pakistan self-proclaimed Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are nothing more than sailors of a sinking ship. They steer a vessel battered by corruption, militarism, and hypocrisy, pretending to guide it toward stability while drilling holes in its own hull. Asim Munir, who projects himself as a “savior in uniform,” has extended military control into every institution politics, media, judiciary, and even civil administration. Under his command, airstrikes on civilians, disappearances of activists, and crackdowns on journalists have become the new normal. Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif, posing as the face of “democratic governance,” acts as a mere frontman for the generals, signing off on their directives without question. Together, they represent a system that thrives on deceit, where power is preserved through fear, and where patriotism is measured by one’s silence.

This reality is visible in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), where recent protests for basic human rights were crushed with brutal force. The people of Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, and Kotli came out demanding affordable wheat, fair electricity prices, and relief from crushing poverty. They were calling for survival. Yet, they were treated in a very inhumane manner. Security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing at least five people, including a young man named Adnan, whose only demand was cheap flour for his family. The streets of PoJK, once filled with slogans for justice, were taken over by troops and intelligence agents. Under the watch of Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif, establishment proved once again that it fears people they rule more than international shame.

As protests in PoJK were silenced with lollipop, unrest spread to Pakistan’s mainland. In Lahore and Islamabad, supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) clashed with Pakistan’s establishment after calling for solidarity with Palestinians. The Pakistan’s establishments reaction was swift and ruthless tear gas, rubber bullets, and live fire. At least five people were killed, dozens injured, and hundreds detained. Mobile networks were shut down, highways were blocked, and the media was ordered not to report freely. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan is now operating one of the most intrusive surveillance systems in the region, spying on millions of its own citizens through digital firewalls and phone tapping. Dissent, whether political or religious, is no longer tolerated. Opposition leaders are languishing in jails; over a hundred have been handed lengthy prison sentences. This is the “democracy” that Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir have built a democracy without freedom, without voice, and without conscience.

While Pakistan’s rulers wage war against their own people, they continue to chant slogans about Kashmir. But their hypocrisy stands exposed before the world. The same establishment that kills its own citizens cannot claim to be the guardian of anyone’s rights. In Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, people asking for flour and electricity are branded as traitors; in Balochistan, entire villages are bombed under the guise of counter-insurgency; and in Sindh, political activists vanish without a trace. The military’s control has turned the nation into a prison guarded by men in uniform and politicians who bow to them.

Whereas, India has faced Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, yet its armed forces have operated under strict rules of engagement. Every counterterrorism operation is guided by the principle of protecting civilian lives. Soldiers risk their own safety to avoid civilian casualties. Indian forces conduct precise, intelligence-based operations rather than indiscriminate bombings. The reason is simple: the people of Jammu and Kashmir are Indian citizens whose lives, rights, and dignity matter. This reflects the true spirit of India’s democracy, where the military serves the nation, not rules it.

Pakistan’s establishment has long built its power on lies, lies about religion, about nationalism, and about Jammu Kashmir. The so-called Field Marshal and his political ally continue to steer a nation already broken by their predecessors. The economy is in ruins, inflation has crushed the poor, and public trust in institutions is gone. The generals’ grip on power grows tighter even as their legitimacy collapses. They silence journalists, arrest opposition members, and crush every spark of dissent. Their rhetoric about Jammu Kashmir is merely a distraction from their failures at home.

The protests in PoJK mark a turning point. For decades, Pakistan claimed to speak for the people of Jammu Kashmir; now those very people are speaking for themselves and their words are not flattering to Islamabad. Their demands are simple: bread, light, water, dignity. Yet, for asking these, they are met with bullets. Their courage exposes the myth that Pakistan ever cared for Jammu Kashmiris. It never did it only cared for using their name to justify its militarism. The contrast between India and Pakistan could not be sharper. India, despite challenges, remains a democracy that values human life and human rights. Pakistan, under Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif, remains a military-run autocracy masquerading as a republic. The difference between the two is not just political it is moral. India’s restraint shows strength; Pakistan’s brutality shows fear. The self-proclaimed Field Marshal and his political puppet may continue to pretend they are steering Pakistan toward greatness, but in truth, they are the sailors of a sinking ship. Their arrogance blinds them to the truth that their ship is taking on water from every direction economic collapse, public unrest, international isolation, and moral bankruptcy. The bombs in Tirah Valley, the blood of protesters in PoJK, and the tears of mothers searching for disappeared sons in Balochistan all are reminders of how far Pakistan has fallen under their command. Pakistan’s double standards stand naked before the world. A country that kills its own people while preaching about freedom across the border has no moral ground left to stand on. Until Pakistan learns to value the lives of its own citizens from Tirah to Muzaffarabad it cannot claim to defend anyone else’s. The voices rising from PoJK are no longer whispers they are warnings. The sailors of Pakistan’s sinking ship may still cling to power, but the tide of truth is already turning against them.