Does Pakistan Have an Army—or Does the Army Have Pakistan?
When retired officers lecture civilians on economics, it resembles an armed guard advising a homeowner on budgeting.
If economic distress truly concerns the military, then defense expenditure, perks, and commercial empires must be open to scrutiny.
Military Business Empires and Moral Confusion
Pakistan’s armed forces control dozens of commercial entities through the Army Welfare Trust, Fauji Foundation, and Shaheen Foundation—spanning banking, cement, fertilizer, power, aviation, real estate, education, and media.
No other democracy permits this scale of institutional capitalism without civilian oversight.
Yet even critics must acknowledge nuance.
In Pakistan: A Hard Country, Anatol Lieven argues that military enterprises—if regulated—can stabilize morale and provide welfare where civilian institutions fail.
The problem is not existence. It is unaccountability.
DHA Is Not Sacrifice
Sacrifice does not resemble gated housing schemes, foreign passports, or overseas properties.
If generals genuinely believe in Pakistan’s future, why do so many families settle abroad?
The Asim Bajwa Question
Allegations surrounding Asim Saleem Bajwa—foreign assets, family wealth, and US-based properties—raised one unavoidable question:
