DND Report
There is saying that individuals break or make nations and Pakistan is example of this diction as the country appeared on the global map as a modern state due to leadership of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1947. Since then, Pakistan is struggling to maintain identity as modern Muslim state and confronting those extremist elements who rejected the idea of Pakistan when millions of Muslims of the Subcontinent were struggling for an independent state under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The Thinker of the East, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, wrote extensively in his poetry and lectures against the “mullahs” who issued fatwas against the concept of Pakistan. Alas, these same mullahs soon hijacked the corridors of power once Pakistan came into being. They still try to control power domains in Pakistan even after 78 years of independence. Democracy, not being an indigenous system, cannot function successfully in Pakistan unless it is made compatible with social dynamics, cultural heritage and religious roots because Pakistani society cannot deal with the system in the same way Western societies do, but at least Pakistani leadership can eliminate the vices and ills detrimental to the polity and the future of the people living in Pakistan. The recent address of Field Marshal Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir at the National Ulema and Mashaykh Conference (10 December 2025) who shared a vision that transcended conventional military thinking, historical perspective about reasons to get a state for Muslims of subcontinent while explaining that Pakistan is not merely a piece of land, a geopolitical entity but a moral, ideological, and spiritual trust of millions of Muslims who look at Pakistan as a defender of faith boundaries and protector of Muslims.
Being a Hafiz e Quran and having a deep understanding with Qur’an, Sunnah, and the philosophical thought of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir looks Pakistan’s destiny within a broader Islamic and historical context and emphasized that Pakistan’s creation was not accidental but divinely ordained, rooted in the Kalima-e-Tayyaba and entrusted with a sacred responsibility in the Muslim world. By invoking Islamic history and poetry, he explained that nations endure not through force alone, but through clarity of purpose, moral conviction, and intellectual vitality.
A central theme of his address was Pakistan’s unique status as Muhafiz-e-Haramain Sharifain. Among the 57 Islamic countries, Allah Almighty has bestowed upon Pakistan the honour of safeguarding the Two Holy Mosques. This recognition was achieved through sincere military diplomacy, robust defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia, and strong institutional harmony between the Armed Forces and the government. Strategic agreements such as the Saudi–Pakistan military frameworks (including SMDA) were cited as evidence of Pakistan’s rising credibility and responsible regional role.
The Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir drew a parallel between Riyasat-e-Taiba and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and said that both were founded on the Kalima-e-Tayyaba and established during the blessed month of Ramadan. Just as divine wisdom destined the State of Madinah to serve the Haramain, Pakistan, he believed was entrusted with their protection. This analogy elevated Pakistan’s national narrative from a political struggle to a sacred responsibility, reinforcing the idea that statehood carries moral and spiritual obligations.
While talking about the success of Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos, he said that divine help was visibly experienced during the operation, reaffirming that reliance on Allah and adherence to divine guidance. Field Marshal Asim Munir explained that power without purpose is empty and Pakistan has a purposeful future.
On national security, he explained in detail the full-spectrum threat environment, spanning both eastern and western borders. His message to the religious leadership was clear: national defence is robust, vigilant, and anchored in both professionalism and principle and the country must fight extremism and terrorism and the authority to declare jihad rests solely with the state. No individual or group has the legitimacy to issue such decrees, and the targeting of innocent women, children, or civilians. His clarity on this issue underscored the state’s resolve to confront extremist misinterpretations that threaten social cohesion and national security.
On Afghanistan, the Field Marshal spoke with strategic realism and moral firmness. He identified the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a direct challenge to the writ of the state and he exposed the terror nexus involving TTP, Afghan-linked networks, and their proxies, revealing that nearly 70 percent of the “Fitna-al-Khawarij” taskheels operating from Afghanistan comprise Afghan nationals. Pakistan’s immense sacrifices for Afghanistan, he lamented, have been repaid with terrorism.
Beyond security, the Field Marshal issued a powerful warning about intellectual decline.
The takeaways of his address include that the nations that abandon the scholarly, moral, and intellectual legacy of their forefathers are destined to fall. History bears witness that neglect of knowledge, education, and critical thinking leads inevitably to decay, education and strong governance, economic resilience, and social cohesion are need of the day. There is no doubt that nations can not survive without respecting culture of knowledge, research, and intellectual development and there is no alternative and shortcut in achieving progress to meet emerging global challenges.
During his address, he demonstrated that true leadership is measured not by slogans or theatrics, but by clarity, courage, conviction, and vision. His vision explains that Pakistan has found a commander whose moral compass, intellectual depth, and spiritual insight illuminate the path ahead and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir is not merely an Army Chief; he is a visionary statesman shaping Pakistan’s present and safeguarding its future.
