Will the US visit of General Asim Munir benefit Pakistan? Well, one can ask how an Army Chief’s visit can make a difference? But, stop. There is a historical background. In case of Pakistan, its Army has had a fair share in deciding the future course of the country. Whether the Army Chief takes over as a dictator or not, he is the go-to person. In fact, any sustainable or long term policy in Pakistan has been dependent of this office. While the  Prime Minister and the Cabinet or the Parliament exist, the Army Chief was always able to overrule them historically. In fact, several politicians see their political survival with their affiliation with Pakistan Army.

Thus, it is pretty clear that any major policy shift has to come through Army in Pakistan. However, Pakistan is under severe economic pressure for the last few years. Aligned with political challenges, the country is facing serious security challenges as well. Pakistan is going for elections on 8th February 2024. Moreover, there are increasing attacks from insurgents in the country. At the same point, the global environment is also shifting. The Indian Supreme Court has also upheld the decision of Modi’s Government to annex Kashmir in its territory without taking the Kashmiri leadership into confidence. This has definitely increased Pakistan’s challenges, domestically and internationally. The visit of General Asim Munir is surely aligned to all these factors.

Previous Visits of Army Chiefs to US

There is a historical connection of the Army Chief and US Government. In part, this is due to the above mentioned environment where the US government sees the Army Chief as a decision making authority. Although, there were policy shifts in the country. The long term and sustainable engagements in Pakistan were only possible through Pakistan Army.

Previously, several Chiefs of Army Staff from Pakistan were able to align the common goals with US administration. This includes the military dictators in the country’s history who had enjoyed closer relations with US government. In fact, there was overt and covert coordination for defense, economic and strategic objectives between the two countries.

Why is General Asim Munir visiting US?

On the face of it, we hear the usual official statement. It was a planned visit to further cement the existing relationship between both the countries. Moreover, the COAS is visiting to meet the US military leadership for stronger coordination in the region. Additionally, the COAS wants to apprise the US government on how India is usurping the rights of Kashmiris through revocation of Article 370. Well, this is all known and exists for some time.

Yet, we are aware that Pakistan is facing serious economic challenges and General Asim Munir has taken the mettle to deal with this situation. He has had engagement with several Middle East rulers to ensure support for Pakistan. He is also the initiator of Special Investment Facilitation Council to ensure business opportunities for the country.

Thus, it seems that this visit also holds more importance in terms managing the economic issues instead of the security ones. Most importantly, when there is a caretaker setup in Pakistan.

Will the US visit of General Asim Munir benefit Pakistan?

Well, it is too early to call on the successes of General Asim Munir’s visit. But yes. There are some fronts that we see and we can look around in near future of how things move on. The first one is the next tranche of IMF. Although, there is all stability in terms of IMF Pakistan deal. Yet, the IMF Pakistan relations are heavily dependent on the US. So, if things get going, we can see it as a success of his visit. The usual US Pakistan military level coordination is also expected to increase. Yet, there isn’t any significant development in the near future. The US also remains aloof in the Kashmir issue. Therefore, it will not come up as a major victory for the COAS. A simple statement from the US side may be all that he can get. Lastly, Pakistan is getting into elections in the early next year. So, the COAS may be able to create some better grounds for the future leadership in terms of US Pakistan relationship.