India to Iran: How two wars shaped the rise of Pakistan’s Asim Munir

Islamabad, Pakistan – Hours earlier a two-week ceasefire betwixt the United States and Iran was owed to expire connected Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced its extension. He named those who had urged him to bash so: Pakistan’s defence forces chief, Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“Based connected the information that the Government of Iran is earnestly fractured,” Trump wrote connected Truth Social, “and upon the petition of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we person been asked to clasp our attack.”

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It was the latest nationalist shoutout from Trump for Pakistan’s leadership, Munir successful particular, implicit their relation successful attempting to mediate an extremity to the warfare betwixt the US and Iran.

On April 8, the US and Iran announced a Pakistan-mediated two-week ceasefire. That came astir pursuing hectic backchannel negotiations, including nonstop consultations Munir held with US Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

On April 11, Munir welcomed the Vance-led US delegation and the Iranian squad led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arsenic they landed successful Islamabad for the archetypal circular of nonstop talks betwixt the 2 nations.

After those talks failed to output a breakthrough, Munir undertook a three-day sojourn to Tehran, the archetypal determination subject person to question to the Iranian superior since the US-Israel warfare connected Iran began connected February 28, attempting to span the gulf successful the positions adopted by Washington and Tehran.

But adjacent arsenic Munir is contiguous being cited by Trump arsenic a peacemaker betwixt the US and Iran, the subject chief’s planetary emergence was rooted successful events that occurred a twelvemonth ago, which led to a four-day warfare betwixt India and Pakistan.

On April 22, 2025, equipped men killed 26 tourists, astir of them Hindu men, successful Baisaran Valley successful Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam. India blamed Pakistan. Islamabad denied engagement and called for an autarkic investigation. Within 2 weeks, the 2 nuclear-armed neighbours were astatine war.

The twelvemonth since has marked a play of accelerated translation successful Pakistan’s governmental and subject landscape. Munir has risen from four-star wide to tract marshal, and past to the country’s archetypal main of defence forces (CDF), amid home disapproval from absorption parties, earlier present emerging arsenic the cardinal fig successful 1 of Pakistan’s astir consequential diplomatic moments successful decades.

The warfare that changed everything

After the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor connected May 7, 2025, striking targets wrong Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Asim Munir, holding a microphone during his sojourn to the Tilla firing range, successful Mangla, Pakistan, May 1, 2025 [Handout/Inter-Services Public Relations via Reuters]

Pakistan responded, saying it had downed aggregate Indian jets, losses New Delhi aboriginal partially acknowledged. The South Asian neighbours exchanged drone and rocket attacks and artillery occurrence until a ceasefire was reached connected May 10 done backchannel diplomacy involving Washington.

Trump repeatedly claimed credit, saying truthful dozens of times. Pakistan thanked him and nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. India, connected the different hand, denied Trump’s claims and insisted that the ceasefire was the effect of bilateral connection with Pakistan — New Delhi’s argumentation rejects third-party engagement successful bilateral disputes with Islamabad.

On May 20, Pakistan’s national furniture unanimously approved Munir’s promotion to tract marshal, crediting his enactment during the warfare with India. This made him lone the 2nd serviceman successful the country’s past to clasp the fertile aft Ayub Khan. Unlike Ayub, Munir besides retained his presumption arsenic main of service staff.

Imran Khan, erstwhile caput of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) and geopolitical analyst, said the struggle with India proved pivotal for Munir’s planetary rise, though its roots laic successful home developments.

“The May 2025 struggle with India was pivotal for Munir’s emergence connected the planetary stage. In an epoch of mediate powers and great-power competition, everyone noticed. Given the broader backsliding of ideology globally, cipher was peculiarly focused connected civil-military imbalance successful Pakistan,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“They saw a almighty person of a nuclear-armed, Muslim-majority plaything state. There was serendipity to it too: erstwhile Pakistan demonstrated its capabilities against India, Trump was successful powerfulness – a president who responds to spot – and the rules-based bid was already showing cracks,” expert Khan said.

The Washington opening

On June 18, amid the 12-day Israel-Iran warfare that besides progressive the US, Trump hosted Munir for luncheon astatine the White House, the archetypal clip a US president had privately received a Pakistani subject main without the civilian enactment present.

The gathering lasted much than treble the scheduled 1 hr successful the Oval Office.

Trump described Munir arsenic “a large fighter” and “a precise important guy”, adding helium was “honoured” to conscionable him. He aboriginal noted publically that Pakistanis “know Iran precise well, amended than most”.

The groundwork had been laid months earlier. Pakistan coordinated with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) connected the seizure of a fishy linked to the Abbey Gate bombing, an cognition Trump cited earlier the US Congress successful March.

Islamabad besides sought to broaden ties with Washington done offers linked to rare world minerals and cryptocurrency cooperation.

Crucially, analysts accidental Pakistan maintained channels with the US and Iran, making it 1 of the fewer countries capable to pass with some sides during and aft the 12-Day War.

Munir was backmost successful Washington, DC, successful September alongside Sharif for meetings that besides included Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

At the October acme successful Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, wherever a Gaza ceasefire was signed, Trump turned to Sharif and referred to Munir arsenic “my favourite tract marshal”.

Qamar Cheema, enforcement manager of the Islamabad-based Sanober Institute, said Munir’s lasting had been gathering good earlier the Pahalgam attack.

“Army main Asim Munir’s lasting was already established erstwhile helium built his credentials by reaching retired to galore nations successful the Middle East for macroeconomic stableness and by keeping Pakistan engaged with different powers,” helium told Al Jazeera.

He acknowledged that the struggle with India accelerated that trajectory.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir conscionable US President Donald Trump astatine the White House, Washington, DC, successful September 2025 [Handout/White House]

“He is privy to truthful galore things. Considering his appointments and his contiguous leverage – his entree to the Oval Office – Iranians recognize that helium is the champion idiosyncratic to convey their messages and bring them a bully woody with the Americans,” helium said.

Khan, the Washington, DC-based analyst, traced Munir’s consolidation of powerfulness to an earlier moment.

“The communicative of Munir’s emergence starts connected May 9, 2023, agelong earlier Pahalgam. The governmental riots and attacks connected subject installations that time gave the then-army main the accidental to consolidate powerfulness by decisively dealing with his biggest interior governmental challenge,” helium said.

The day refers to the unrest that followed the apprehension of erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan, with protests targeting subject sites, including the corps commander’s residence successful Lahore and the wide office successful Rawalpindi. The subject responded with wide arrests and a years-long crackdown against the erstwhile PM and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, marking a decisive displacement successful the equilibrium of power.

Constitutional consolidation

In November 2025, parliament passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment. It created the station of CDF, held concurrently by the service chief, placing the army, navy, aerial unit and the strategical plans part nether a unified command.

The amendment made the fertile of tract marshal imperishable for beingness and granted a five-star serviceman beingness immunity from prosecution.

It besides reset Munir’s tenure. Instead of retiring successful November 2027, helium began a five-year word arsenic CDF, extending his work to astatine slightest November 2030, with the anticipation of further extension.

Removing the CDF requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority, whereas unseating an elected premier curate requires lone a elemental majority.

The measure passed the Senate successful 16 minutes, amid protests from absorption lawmakers aligned with the jailed erstwhile PM, Khan.

The authorities said the changes reflected lessons from the four-day struggle with India, arguing that modern warfare demands integrated command.

Sanober Institute’s Cheema said what whitethorn look from the extracurricular similar a consolidation of powerfulness is, “in my understanding, thing different”.

“All institutions fundamentally judge that the subject is doing enactment that others could not, and that Pakistan should instrumentality vantage of that strength. Pakistan is not globally applicable due to the fact that of its GDP oregon due to the fact that of peculiarly beardown antiauthoritarian credentials; its relevance is rooted successful its military, which functions arsenic some hard and brushed power,” helium said.

But a retired three-star wide offered a antithetic presumption connected what this consolidation meant.

“External validation successful this discourse makes home consolidation much dangerous, not less, precisely due to the fact that it wraps attraction of powerfulness successful the connection of nationalist success,” helium told Al Jazeera, speaking connected information of anonymity due to the fact that of concerns implicit repercussions for what mightiness beryllium perceived arsenic disapproval of Munir, seen arsenic the astir almighty idiosyncratic successful Pakistan.

“It becomes easier to say, ‘Look, the satellite approves; therefore, this exemplary is working’, portion the semipermanent wellness of institutions softly deteriorates,” helium said.

On September 9, 2025, Israeli warplanes struck a compound successful Doha, targeting Hamas enactment during discussions connected a US ceasefire proposal. It marked the archetypal Israeli onslaught connected a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state.

Eight days later, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement successful Riyadh, with Munir contiguous alongside Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf meets Asim Munir, successful Tehran, Iran, April 16, 2026 [Handout/Iranian Parliament Speaker’s Office via Reuters]

The pact commits each state to dainty an onslaught connected 1 arsenic an onslaught connected both. It is the archetypal specified statement Pakistan has signed, and Munir is seen arsenic its driving force.

In December, visiting Riyadh again, Munir received the King Abdulaziz Medal of the First Class – recognition, the citation said, of his efforts to beforehand bilateral relations.

But Munir was not lone strengthening ties with Gulf nations successful the Middle East.

In May 2025, helium travelled to Iran with Sharif and met Major-General Mohammad Bagheri, main of the Iranian military’s wide staff. Bagheri was killed weeks later, connected June 13, successful Israeli aerial strikes, 1 of respective elder Iranian commanders killed successful the opening signifier of the 12-Day War.

When the US and Israel launched their violative connected February 28, Pakistan faced competing pressures: its defence pact with Saudi Arabia, its borderline and humanities ties with Iran, and its increasing narration with Washington.

Islamabad responded connected aggregate fronts.

On March 7, Munir travelled to Riyadh to conscionable Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. He returned connected March 12 with Sharif for talks with the crown prince, MBS.

During the last days of March, Munir held repeated conversations with Trump. On March 24, Pakistan formally offered to big talks betwixt the US and Iran. A time later, Pakistani officials delivered a 15-point US connection to Iran.

On March 29, the overseas ministers of Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met successful Islamabad for the 2nd clip successful 10 days to research a diplomatic off-ramp.

With tensions escalating and Trump’s deadline approaching, a ceasefire was announced connected April 8, negotiated by Munir, Vance, Witkoff and Araghchi. Pakistan’s nonsubjective was limited: not a last deal, but capable communal crushed to prolong dialogue.

Though the archetypal circular of nonstop talks connected April 11 did not pb to a breakthrough, Pakistan’s subject and civilian enactment person since attempted to support diplomatic negotiations alive.

Despite the blossoming US-Pakistan relationship, a retired two-star wide who spoke to Al Jazeera connected information of anonymity, said Munir and the broader constitution understood that a weakened Iran would make nonstop problems for Pakistan.

“If Iran is gone oregon successful a atrocious shape, determination volition beryllium a batch of Israeli influence. India and Israel collaborated successful Operation Sindoor; that is not a concealed now. So if Iran is weakened, we volition person a concern connected our occidental borderline too,” helium said, referring to however India utilized Israeli missiles, aerial defence systems and drones during the May 2025 war.

The home view

The past year’s diplomatic enactment has unfolded against a hard home backdrop.

Asim Munir gestures earlier US-Iran bid talks successful Islamabad, April 11, 2026 [Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters]

Violence successful Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces reached its highest levels successful a decennary successful 2025. Khan, the jailed erstwhile PM, remains successful prison, on with his wife. Attacks connected property state and civilian liberties person faced sustained disapproval from rights groups.

The 27th Amendment has drawn crisp disapproval from absorption figures and autarkic analysts, who reason that the attraction of authorization lacks precedent successful Pakistan’s history.

Analyst Khan said helium was not perturbed by “the military’s expanding relation successful overseas policy”.

What was a much “serious question”, helium said, was astir Munir’s tenure arsenic subject chief. “By this point, the lone idiosyncratic who decides however agelong Munir remains CDF is, effectively, Munir himself,” helium said.