Since its inception, Pakistan has been less a nation-state and more a long-running military franchise with civilians occasionally allowed cameo roles. Ayub Khan launched the series, Zia-ul-Haq added a grim religious twist, and Pervez Musharraf gave it a modern authoritarian sheen. Each general marched in, suspended the Constitution as casually as cancelling a gym membership, and rewrote the system to ensure the khakis never lose their plotline. Even Musharraf’s 2019 treason conviction touted as a dawn of civilian supremacy turned out to be more of a sunset montage. The man never returned to serve a sentence and passed away overseas, untouched by the justice he was supposedly delivered. Field Marshal General Asim Munir is the latest lead in this saga.
In a country where officers have been court-martialed for spying or stealing millions but never for toppling elected governments, the notion of military accountability remains a charming fairy tale told only to children and foreign diplomats.
Enter Field Marshal General Asim Munir the latest chef in Rawalpindi’s political kitchen. But unlike his predecessors, Munir did not bother with the theatrics of rolling tanks onto Constitution Avenue. No, he simply went gourmet. He prepared a slow-cooked, richly spiced dish: the Munirstrone.
Like Minestrone soup, which blends seasonal vegetables, pasta, and a rich tomato broth, Munirstrome is no different in spirit: political parties, the judiciary, and religious groups create the “perfect broth,” while the common public is constantly chopped and tossed in, having no choice but to become part of the mix and enhance its flavour.
Pakistan’s 27th Amendment: Democracy à la Munir
The fresh-off-the-stove 27th Constitutional Amendment is being sold as ‘modernisation’ but critics insist it is more like handing the country’s steering wheel, GPS, spare tyre, and fuel tank to the military with the civilians allowed to keep the keychain.
Government spokesmen call it progress. Legal experts call it a centralisation of power. Political observers call it a coronation ceremony with footnotes. And rights activists call it what it is: the grand elevation of Field Marshal Asim Munir to Pakistan’s most powerful man in its modern history all achieved without the bother of a coup.
Redesigning the Military Architecture: With One King at the Top
The amendment abolishes the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and introduces the constitutionally sanctified Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). And surprise, surprise the CDF is none other than the Chief of Army Staff himself.
For the first time, all three forces Army, Air Force and Navy will report to one supreme commander. Naturally, that commander happens to be the first and only five-star officer in Pakistan’s current constellation: Field Marshal Munir.
Adding an extra sprinkle of seasoning, the amendment grants lifetime immunity to all five-star officers. Since Pakistan currently boasts only one such individual, the clause might as well have been titled:
Section 1: Full Immunity for Asim Munir (Forever).
President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as COAS concurrently as CDF for 5 years, and a 2-year extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu from 19 March 2026. The President conveyed his best wishes to both. pic.twitter.com/RrIJNCC7I5
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) December 4, 2025
Judiciary chopped in Two….
Traditionally, Pakistan’s Supreme Court guarded the Constitution. Now it is relegated to handling mundane civil and criminal appeals while the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) becomes the new constitutional overlord.
And who appoints FCC judges? The executive which in Pakistan’s political climate, is roughly the same as saying the establishment. Critics fear the FCC may become the place where controversial government and military decisions go not to be judged, but to be blessed.
This is not the first time Parliament has interfered in Judicial powers, the 26th amendment to the Pakistani Constitution significantly impacted judiciary by reshaping appointment of Judges, limiting courts’ suo motu powers, and altering the process for choosing the Chief Justice.
Political Consensus… Or Political Survival?
Political parties that once swore by constitutionalism like PML-N, PPP, and others have suddenly discovered the joys of submission. After years of clashing with the military, they now recite talking points like obedient choir members. They know too well that confronting the establishment leads not to martyrdom, but to jail cells, exile, audio leaks, video leaks etc.
Thus, the amendment sailed through Parliament with remarkable ease as the opposition is already jailed and censored.
Crackdowns Served Fresh
All kinds of protests are being met with crackdowns, including those by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The irony is striking: a group once treated as a state-approved pressure valve is now handled like just another ingredient in Munir’s kitchen firmly crushed to show that Chef Munir alone decides what goes into the pot and how every element is controlled.
The Munirstrone Will Keep Simmering
Munir has all the ingredients to keep both the borders hot so that his and Army’s relevance continues. With borders tense, dissent muted, and institutions synchronised with military tune, the country appears ready for the chef’s long-term tasting menu.
This political soup simmering steadily with ingredients like consolidated power, strategic immunity, judicial redesign, and compliant politicians is not cooling anytime soon. The Americans seem content to keep the stove lit, providing the gas supply while Munir stirs both domestic politics and Pakistan’s borders to maintain perpetual relevance.
For now, Pakistanis have little choice but to be part of it and also to sip the Munirstrone, a soup that promises neither relief nor flavour change. And judging by the heat in Rawalpindi’s kitchen, this pot will stay boiling for a very long time.
