WHEN rumours first began circulating that a change was being considered in the top tier of the civilian component of the ruling set-up, both Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and military spokesman Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had issued statements rubbishing them.

That ought to have put such idle talk to rest, but it seems that neither Mr Naqvi nor the DG ISPR was to be believed on the matter. Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was expected to address the same question during his recent sojourn in Brussels, both during a public interaction and in an interview with a senior journalist.

Like the others, he, too, dismissed talk that the prime minister and president would be replaced as “completely false”. When told that “both civil and military agencies” had been sharing this ‘news’, the chief dismissed it as “not possible”, expressing suspicion that this may be the work of those who “oppose both the government and the authorities and wish to create political anarchy”.

It is hoped that the government at least is resting a little easier. It is unfortunate that the army chief himself was expected to step into this conversation, considering that he has far more important things to take care of.

It is also concerning that there are mischief-makers around who are trying to drive a wedge between the authorities and the government. The country has experienced enough political anarchy over the last few years, and the ruling arrangement formalised after the Feb 8, 2024, general election was expected to be the counterweight to it.

Whether these rumours started because of the civilian leaders’ inability, perceived or otherwise, to deliver on this ‘mandate’ or something completely different has been difficult to pin down, mainly because the alliance between the government and the ‘authorities’ has otherwise proved to be a match made in heaven.

Now that the army chief himself has made it clear that he is interested in nothing more than serving as Pakistan’s ‘protector’, perhaps the political leadership should shift its focus back to its job.

The country has been experiencing a rare period of stability, but what it will make of it remains a big question. Despite repeated promises that an economic breakthrough is just around the corner, Pakistan’s teeming millions have yet to see any significant improvement in their personal lives.

Prices may have largely stabilised, but the public will soon start asking why the benefits of the ‘economic turnaround’ that the government keeps talking about are not visible in their own lives as well.

It is these expectations that are, in fact, the government’s biggest challenge. It must find it within itself to inspire and lead the public and guide it to a more prosperous future.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2025