When a General Becomes a Store Manager ,The Image That Defines Pakistan's Power Struggle

A routine diplomatic meeting has ignited a political firestorm in Pakistan after the nation's powerful Army Chief, General Asim Munir, presented a gift to former US President Donald Trump, leading one senator to scathingly compare him to a “salesman.” The controversy erupted over a widely circulated photograph from the White House showing General Munir displaying a box of rare earth minerals to Trump, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif smiling in the background.During a session in the Senate, lawmaker Aimal Wali Khan did not hold back his criticism, questioning the Army Chief's role in diplomatic and economic affairs. "In what capacity is our Chief of the Army Staff roaming in America today? And with a briefcase of rare earth... what a joke," Khan declared.He ridiculed the optics of the high-level meeting, suggesting it undermined the dignity of the military office. "It looked to me like a premium brand store where the manager is standing with a big smile, and a shopkeeper is telling the buyer, 'Come, I have great stuff, buy it,'" the senator stated. He argued that such actions make a "mockery" of the country and its constitution, calling the situation in Pakistan a “dictatorship.”The meeting was part of a broader effort by Pakistan to attract American investment into its mining and mineral sectors, hoping to present itself as a strategic economic partner and an alternative to China's dominance in the rare earth supply chain. However, the gesture has backfired domestically, with critics arguing that the Army Chief overstepped his constitutional role.The incident has also drawn sharp criticism from Baloch activists, who claim the minerals showcased by Munir were extracted from the resource-rich, oppressed region of Balochistan. They accused the Pakistani establishment of attempting to sell "stolen wealth" on the international stage.The controversy highlights the ongoing tension in Pakistan over the military's expansive role in governance and foreign policy. While the government's supporters see the outreach to the US as a necessary step for the struggling economy, opponents view it as an undignified and unconstitutional pitch that compromises national sovereignty.