FT: Trump’s “favorite field marshal” faces crises at home

Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful army chief since 2022, has become the country’s de facto ruler amid political turmoil and economic collapse. While courting Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, he presents himself as a reformer aiming to restore Pakistan’s global standing.

Source  Financial Times

Critics, however, see Munir as the latest in a long line of military rulers who promise stability but deliver repression. Under his leadership, opposition leaders are jailed or in hiding, censorship has intensified, and the army’s control over business has expanded.

Despite his international diplomacy, Pakistan faces deep internal fractures. Its economy has declined to one-third of India’s per capita GDP, and disillusionment among citizens grows. FT concludes that Munir’s challenge lies not abroad — but in whether his authoritarian rule can truly rescue a failing state.