Field Marshal Asim Munir, chief of the Pakistan Army, is reportedly pushing to consolidate all of Pakistan's security and law enforcement institutions under a single military command — a move that analysts and officials warn could destabilise an already fractured nation. The proposal, if implemented, would place civilian police forces across all four provinces under direct Army control, effectively erasing the constitutional distinction between domestic law enforcement and external defence.

The Centralisation Drive

According to officials familiar with the matter, the proposal envisions a unified command structure in which every major security institution — from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to provincial police forces — answers to the Pakistan Army. Munir has reportedly framed this consolidation as an operational necessity, citing the ongoing threat from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), arguing that a single chain of command would improve coordination and intelligence-sharing.

Critics, however, argue that the militancy rationale is a pretext. 'He wants absolute control of the country,' one official said, noting that placing provincial police under Army command would also give Munir effective leverage over all four provincial governments — a dramatic centralisation of power with no democratic mandate.

Budget Standoff With the Sharif Government

Munir's reach has extended well beyond the barracks. According to reports, he has been exerting pressure on the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif government over the federal budget, demanding a 25 per cent increase in defence spending. The Sharif government has resisted, arguing that with Pakistan's economy in severe distress, fiscal priority must shift toward public welfare rather than military outlays.

The standoff has reportedly delayed the budget process — a damaging development for a country grappling with a collapsed economy, soaring inflation, and an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-mandated austerity path. Officials say the two sides remain deeply at odds, with Munir showing little regard for the elected government's position.

Failures That Fuel the Power Grab

An official from the Intelligence Bureau offered a sharper assessment: Munir's push for expanded control is, in part, a response to a string of strategic failures on his watch. The TTP and BLA have not been contained; Pakistan's ties with the Afghan Taliban have deteriorated significantly; and India's Operation Sindoor reportedly exposed critical vulnerabilities in Pakistan's security posture. 'He has failed the people by taking over the political class,' the official said.

Rather than addressing these failures through institutional reform, Munir appears to be responding with a further concentration of authority — a pattern that Pakistan watchers say has historically deepened, not resolved, the country's security challenges.

Blowback Risk in Balochistan, KP and Sindh

Officials and analysts warn that imposing Army command over civilian policing in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Sindh could be catastrophic. These regions are already witnessing large-scale violence and deep public resentment over perceived resource extraction — with local populations alleging that revenues from rich natural resources are being funnelled to Islamabad, Karachi, and Rawalpindi rather than reinvested locally.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship infrastructure project, has itself become a flashpoint in Balochistan, where the BLA has repeatedly targeted project sites, leaving Beijing visibly frustrated. Analysts say that militarising law enforcement in these regions — rather than addressing developmental grievances — would almost certainly accelerate the cycle of violence.

'The anger of the already distressed people will take over,' one expert said. 'The regions which are already witnessing large-scale violence will only see an increase in attacks.' Pakistan watchers add that Munir's bid for total control is a high-risk gamble that, in their assessment, will eventually backfire badly.