Pakistan witnessing its worst internal security slide under Asim Munir: Report
Islamabad, July 21
Under Army Chief Asim Munir, Pakistan has heavily relied on narrative management, with every major failure portrayed as a foreign conspiracy, every protest considered security threat and every military escalation presented as national resolve. Munir, who is portrayed as a "global stabiliser", has presided over one of Pakistan's worst internal security slides in more than a decade, a report has detailed.
In 2022, Asim Munir took over as Pakistan's Army Chief, when the country was already facing renewed militancy, unrest in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and deteriorating ties with Afghanistan, according to a report in The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Under his control, Pakistan further moved deeper into a hard-security model built around military operations, arrests, cross-border strikes, bans and centralised army control. This approach did not produce stability. Instead, Pakistan faced increase in militant attacks, higher casualties among civilians and security forces, growing alienation in Baloch and Pashtun regions and conflict with Afghanistan.
Munir was elevated to the rank of Field Marshal in 2025. However, security data of Pakistan does not support Munir's image as a successful stabiliser. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), militant attacks increased from 380 in 2022 to 645 in 2023, 908 in 2024, and 1,066 in 2025. PICSS said 2025 was the year with highest militant attacks since 2014 and highest security-force fatalities since 2011 and the worst civilian fatalities since 2015.
"The same military leadership that presents itself as a mediator in Iran has failed to mediate Pakistan's own internal conflicts. Balochistan remains alienated. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains violent. The former tribal belt remains militarized. Afghanistan relations have moved from tension to repeated armed escalation. A commander projected as a global stabilizer has presided over one of Pakistan's worst internal security slides in more than a decade," a report in MEMRI.
"The contradiction is structural, not cosmetic, and sits at the center of Munir's security approach. Abroad, Pakistan speaks the language of ceasefire, dialogue and mediation. At home, the state relies on coercion, bans, arrests, disappearances, military sweeps and collective punishment. The same leadership that seeks diplomatic space between Washington and Tehran to bolster its international image has failed to create political space for its own Baloch, Pashtun, and Kashmiri citizens."
Pakistan has also used its coercive approach in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where the crackdown on the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) showcased another layer of Pakistan's internal security crisis. Protests around Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad in PoK in June turned deadly after the JAAC, a civil-society group demanding political and economic rights, was banned under anti-terror laws.
"The wider pattern is that Pakistan's state keeps externalizing blame while avoiding internal reform. Every major security failure is attributed to hostile external forces. But the casualty curve shows that the deeper problem lies inside Pakistan's own security and governance model. The Munir era has relied heavily on narrative management," a report in MEMRI mentioned.
"Every major failure is reframed as a foreign conspiracy, every protest is treated as a security threat, and every military escalation is projected as national resolve. But narrative control cannot substitute for public security. HRW said Pakistani authorities in 2025 used vague and overly broad laws to intensify crackdowns on media freedom, political opposition and civil society.[14] The result is a state that polices criticism more aggressively than it resolves the conditions producing militancy," it added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This report confirms what many of us have suspected for years—Pakistan's military establishment is more interested in maintaining its own power and international image than actually solving the problems of its people. The crackdown in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on the JAAC is especially telling. When a peaceful civil society group demanding basic political and economic rights is banned under anti-terror laws and protests turn deadly, you know the system is broken. India has always maintained that PoJK is an integral part of India. The suffering of the people there is a direct consequence of Pakistan's military rule.
As someone who follows South Asian geopolitics, the numbers in this report are staggering. From 380 militant attacks in 2022 to 1,066 in 2025—that's almost a 300% increase under Munir's tenure. And the worst part is the civilian and security force fatalities hitting decade-highs. It's hard to see how Pakistan can claim to be an international mediator when it can't even mediate peace between its own state and its citizens. The "hard security" approach clearly isn't working, but the military establishment seems unwilling to change course. India should take note—this is what happens when you prioritize narrative over reality.
"Narrative control cannot substitute for public security." This line from the MEMRI report is perfect. Pakistan has become an expert at branding—calling their army chief a "field marshal," projecting him as a peacemaker in the Middle East, while their own Pashtun and Baloch citizens are alienated and their journalists are being arrested. Meanwhile, India under PM Modi has integrated J&K fully, developed infrastructure in the Northeast, and maintained internal security despite challenges. The proof is in the data. Pakistan's model is failing, and no amount of propaganda can hide that.
It's heartbreaking to read about the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
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