He is not only someone who holds the distinction of being a 'Field Marshall' after Pakistan army suffered immense humiliation and military setback in Operation Sindoor.
Asim Munir is a man who wears many hats in cash-starved country. Apart from managing the armed forces, he dabbles in diplomacy (as was seen during the US-Iran mediation) and also steers Pakistan's economic policy
In between, he still finds time to engage in anti-India rhetoric.
Now, his list of responsibilities is set to get longer. The Pakistan army chief will now have to curb Pakistan's uncontrolled population growth.
Probably there was a military diktat and since then Pakistani health minister Syed Mustafa Kamal at a Senate meeting earlier this week, made the announcement.
With a population of over 259 million, Pakistan is presently the fifth-most populous country. It is expected to become the fourth largest, surpassing Indonesia, by 2030.
For cash-strapped Pakistan, it is nothing short of a demographic catastrophe. In the process, has he tried to make himself the nation's dictator (with the the hybrid arrangements) till 2030 at least ?
Is this bravado or joke linked to Indian parliamentary elections in 2029 ?
"The government is treating this issue with the highest priority, and important policy decisions are being taken at every level," Pak health minister said. The new job for Munir comes at a precarious time for Pakistan, which is already dealing with security issues in Balochistan and near the Afghan border. Moreover, unrest in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) over economic hardships and police excesses is only intensifying by the day.
Earlier this week, 42 Pakistani security personnel were killed by Baloch rebels and TTP militants in the restive Balochistan province. Additionally, tensions have been high along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border for the past few weeks.
Handing its army chief a role to bring the population under control at such a sensitive time has come in for ridicule from Pakistanis.
As usual, social media has erupted with memes and jokes, poking fun at the army chief's new role.
"What would (Asim) Munir do? Distribute condoms?" one user tweeted.
"If the government needs their field marshal for population control, it should go home," tweeted popular Pakistani journalist Asad Toor.
Another user had a sarcastic take, saying,
"He successfully reduced population in Kashmir, Balochistan, Muridke, Islamabad."
ends
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