Senior Gen. quits;  rocks boat of new army chief Gen. Asim Munir

Arun  Joshi Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa who completed his six-year tenure handed over the baton to  Gen. Asim Munir at a ceremony, the high point of which  were the prayers for the army to save it from external and internal threats . It might have been part of the tradition of Pakistan army  at the General Headquarters or GHQ , Rawalpindi, but the  prayers this time assume greater significance as Pakistan is locked in a host of  troubles and staring at known and  unknown challenges. And the start of the next three-year tenure of Gen Munir was hit  by the resignation of one of the top  most  Lt. Generals who knew much more about the establishment than many of his peers . Lt. Gen.  Faiz Hamid  who headed  Bahawalpur corps  has resigned , at least five months ahead of his retirement which is due on April 30 next year. In Pakistan , it’s said that “ it’s not over till it is over,” because of the uncertainties surrounding the nation , which is  struggling to  looking for ways  to stabilize itself . The army, is a pivot around which the  whole system works .  For the new army chief , it is a difficult assignment  as there are too many footprints of Bajwa which he cannot  erase all at once  , and at the same time , he has to confront with the new challenges in his own way . The matters have already been complicated  for him ,  with the resignation of Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid , who was not only one among the senior most military officers in Pakistan army but also  owing to his proximity to the former premier Imran  Khan. At the moment Khan is the most popular leader in Pakistan. Gen. Faiz Hamid was very close to  Imran Khan , especially when he was spy agency ISI chief from 2019 to 2021. His resignation came a couple  of days before the change of command at the GHQ on Tuesday morning.  It is not just an individual ‘s resignation  who might have thought or believed that his claim to the top post in the army has been ignored . His name figured in the shortlisted  list of  six Generals who were recommended for the army chief’s post  to Prime Minister  Shehbaz Sharif . Pakistani Prime Minister  however went by the seniority .  Gen. Asim Munir was  the most senior among all . The seniority has its own merit  because this has a chronology  which has its own validity and merit . Lt. Gen. Hamid’s resignation establishes the fissures within the rank and file of Pakistan army. It is a resentment against the new army chief ,  indicating it clearly that Generals like Hamid have not reconciled to Gen. Asim Munir’s elevation to the top post . These fissures , in all likelihood will  widen in the days to come as it is evident by the turbulences in the country. This also shows that  all the supporters of Imran Khan in the army see the new army chief  as someone who will follow footprints of Gen. Bajwa , and by extension   Shebaz Sharif government . They will  make situations difficult for the new army chief and   the government . Lt. Gen. Hamid has started the process  and it is likely to gain momentum  as Imran Khan has already established himself as the most popular leader in the country . The crowds at his rallies, particularly at Rawalpindi, on November 26 , have established that there was no leader anywhere close to the popularity of Imran Khan. Now, the army generals who are not inclined  toward the current government would play their own games so that the political balance tilts in their favour .