The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, apart from the previous traditions, this time keeping merit and seniority in mind, has promoted the most senior General of the Army, Asim Munir, to four-star general and appointed him as the Chief of Army Staff, while General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been appointed as the Joint Chief of Staff Committee. It has been decided against all comments and wishes by promoting him to the post and in this context P.M has also taken all the political parties into confidence except one political party which shows stubbornness in every matter. Happiness and satisfaction are being expressed across the country on this decision. In this context, the former military personality Lt. Gen (Retd) Faiz Jillani from the new district Talagang was contacted, and then he praised the new army chief and said that he had commanded the Gujranwala Corps and its commander has been General Asim Munir. He is a sophisticated man and a brave commander; he will prove to be an excellent chief for Pakistan. Many retired officers from Pakistan Army have also expressed similar opinion.
In fact, in the present era, the intervention of military strategy has a great meaning. The Russian saying is “High defense has 100 hands”. In the new era, war technology has advanced so much that now weapons have replaced human beings, now the numerical superiority of the army is no longer an advantage. China has reduced the army by less than 50%, instead of 2.5 million soldiers now there are only one million soldier. Instead China has decided to develop its air force and navy. Until a few decades ago, China’s military numbered around 10 million, but as it advanced in weapons and advanced technology it has reduced its strength. Israel is far ahead in this field from the beginning, its air force is only 176,000, but it is heavy on many Arab countries with many armies. The new technology is so amazing that it was unimaginable until recently. New missiles are being developed every day, planes that fly so high that they are not visible in the air and carry out carpet bombing, then rockets that automatically find the target and fall on it, now even more drones has changed the battlefield today. The era of “star war” has begun in space, the countries have superior technology and aerial weapons, they are the great power. For example, the United States is the largest power in the world with 2.3 million troops, and Russia is at the second position with 1 million more troops, i.e. 3.3 million, China is at the third position and India is at the fourth position. France is the fifth worst military power in the world with 375,000 troops and Britain is the sixth worst military power in the world with 225,000 troops. Japan is ranked seventh and Turkey is ninth, Turkish army is 750,000, while Japan is only 300,000. Among the Muslim countries, if Turkey is the first power, then Egypt is the second power with 1.35 million army, followed by Pakistan whose army number is more than 900,000, then there is Indonesia. At the global level, the ranking of Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia is 9, 13 and 14 respectively, Iran is 21st, Saudi Arabia is 24th. Among the 25 major powers, the army of North Korea and South Korea is more than 5.8 million. Such a large army of a country with a population of only 50 million is surprising, its number is twelfth. While its opponent North Korea’s army is more than that, i.e 5.5 million, but it ranks 23rd in ranking, while the population is only 24.4 million. Among the world’s five most powerful special air services, the US Navy SEAL, Pakistan’s Special Services Group, has been ranked fourth, based on the model of the British SAS and the US Navy’s SEAL, which were established in 1956. It is a fact that Japan and Germany emerged from the ashes of the Second World War II and the atomic bomb as the world’s great economies because the victorious Allies prohibited these countries from having armies under treaties, but the defense budget of a country is directly related to its economy, the nature of relations with neighboring countries, its geographical location, its role in the context of regional and global conditions. It cannot be seen in isolation. The defense budget is a broad canvas covering military and civilian personnel salaries, operations, maintenance, procurement, military research and development, and military aid. Among the countries of the world that spend the most on its defense, the United States spends 34% of GDP, China 1.9%, India 2.4%, Russia 3.9%, Saudi Arabia 8%, Israel 5.3%.
The purpose of presenting the aforementioned above statistics was a comparative review of the world and Pakistan in such a situation when Pakistan is facing the worst economic crisis due to the Corona epidemic and the worst economic problems due to the experiences of the previous government, where a storm of inflation has come in the country. The impact was not only on the common people, it also had an impact on the performance of the army. The new appointed Army Chief General Asim Munir is a highly capable general who has served as an excellent administrator in every department of the Pakistan Army and also has the experience of leading the world. The nation has huge expectations from him, we hope that he will not only play his role in strengthening the army based on his superior abilities but also help the people to get rid of inflation and unemployment. His predecessor Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his last speech has expressed the views about the political role of the army in the past, it is hoped that the new army chief will also use his professional skills while keeping the army away from politics which will help restore trust between the army and the nation and the country will be on the path of development.
It has happened for the first time in the military history of the country that the generals elected to three important positions belong to the Potohar region i.e. Rawalpindi Division. Army Chief General Asim Munir belongs to Rawalpindi, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza belongs to Malhal Mughlan (Chakwal) while DG ISI belongs to Gujarkhan, while the father of two generals has been associated with the education department.
