Pakistan's power struggle narrows to two men: Imran vs Munir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s political battlefield has narrowed to two poles: Field Marshal Asim Munir , the army chief whose influence spans parliament, the judiciary and diplomacy, and Imran Khan , the jailed former prime minister who, despite his incarceration in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, remains the most potent political force in the country, commanding the street, the diaspora, and a digital army keeping his voice alive.

This week, Khan issued a call for nationwide agitation after the 10th of Muharram, aiming to reignite mass mobilisation just as Field Marshal Munir stands at the peak of his institutional authority. The move comes amid growing public frustration over inflation, repression, and a system many believe has been engineered to exclude the electorate’s will.

Two weeks ago, Munir met US President Donald Trump at the White House, a discreet engagement confirmed by diplomatic sources. According to insiders, Imran Khan’s fate and Pakistan’s internal political stability were among the topics discussed, particularly in light of pressure from the overseas Pakistani diaspora .

Soon after, the Supreme Court awarded the PTI ’s reserved seats to the ruling PML-N-PPP coalition, handing it a two-thirds supermajority in parliament — a legal outcome that critics say has effectively nullified the popular mandate from the Feb 2024 general elections. “It’s political elimination through judicial procedure,” said a senior legal analyst. “The system was rewritten to fit the result.”

While Munir tours Washington, Riyadh and Beijing as Pakistan’s stabilising envoy, PTI’s political campaign has been pushed abroad, led by a vast online network of digital volunteers across the UK, North America and the Gulf. “You can erase a party from parliament, but not from memory,” said a PTI organiser in Birmingham. “We’ve made the diaspora the movement’s backbone.”

PTI’s message – injustice, censorship, stolen mandate – is kept alive through platforms like YouTube, Telegram and X, forming a digital frontline that defies state control.

Munir’s rising global stature – reinforced by high-profile diplomatic engagements – may yet prove to be a deceptive calm. History offers a cautionary echo: Pakistan’s military rulers from Ayub to Zia to Musharraf all basked in international legitimacy at their zeniths, only to be brought down by domestic discontent.

With Khan’s post-Muharram agitation call threatening to spill onto the streets and economic despair combining with political anger, Munir’s firm grip on the state may soon face its first real stress test. What looks like consolidation could quickly unravel if the tide of public rage surpasses the system’s capacity to contain it.

There is no serious civilian counterweight. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif holds office but not authority. The real contest is between Munir with unmatched institutional control, and Imran, the politician with unbroken public appeal.

Field Marshal Munir may rule the state. But Imran Khan – even from a prison cell – continues to shape the struggle that could decide Pakistan’s political future.