‘My greatest desire is martyrdom’: Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir rejects political ambitions

Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, has stated that he harbors no political ambitions and sees himself solely as a servant of the state, according to a report by a Pakistani media outlet.

Suhail Warraich, a columnist for the Jang media group, wrote in an article published on Saturday that General Munir conveyed this message to him directly during a recent meeting in Brussels, Belgium, while en route from his visit to the United States, ANI reported.

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The columnist said that Munir was reported as saying on stage at a Brussels gathering that: “God has made me protector of the country. I do not desire any position other than that.”

“I am a soldier and my greatest desire is martyrdom,” Munir said, as quoted by the Pakistan-based newspaper.

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This remark by Pakistan’s Army Chief came during a time when there were persistent instances that showed that the Pakistani political system had faced military intervention, with Munir categorically rejecting such speculation. “The talk started with politics and especially on the rumours that work is being done to change the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister. General Asim Munir clearly said in the Brussels meeting and in the two-hour-long meeting with me that the rumours about the change are completely false,” the Saturday column by Warraich read.

Munir also stated that such claims of a leadership change in Pakistan weren’t made by either civil or military agencies but rather by elements that sought to destabilise the political order in the country.

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Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper cited the Jang media column to say Pakistani army chief had “warned” India against destabilising Pakistan’s peace through the use of “proxies”, and also cautioned Afghanistan against “pushing the Taliban into Pakistan”, or it would be met with a response.

‘We will not sacrifice one friend for the other’

Munir was quoted as expressing confidence in maintaining equilibrium between the US and China. “We will not sacrifice one friend for the other,” Munir said as quoted by the Daily Jung columnist.

The columnist stated that the Pakistani Army Chief has also laid out an “ambitious” roadmap aimed at transforming Pakistan, pointing towards an untapped potential in the mineral sector.

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“Pakistan has a rare earth treasure; with this treasure, Pakistan’s debt will also be reduced, and Pakistan will soon be counted among the most prosperous societies,” Munir stated in the interview with the Daily Jang. Munir specifically pointed to the Reko Diq mining project, predicting that from next year, the country would earn a net profit of at least two billion dollars annually from the project, with this figure increasing year by year.