New Delhi: Pakistan’s political landscape could be heading towards another major restructuring, with Field Marshal Asim Munir backing proposals that would give the country’s military a formal role in governance while potentially replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential model. The reported plans come months after Munir was elevated to the rank of Field Marshal, Pakistan’s highest military rank, and gained sweeping powers under the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
The amendment gave Munir command of the army, navy and air force as Chief of Defence Forces, while also granting him lifelong legal immunity from prosecution. According to a report in News18, the military establishment is now considering a 10-year national plan that could expand the armed forces’ formal involvement in state affairs. Security sources and a close aide of Munir cited by the publication said the framework could encompass not only economic reforms but also wide-ranging constitutional changes.
At the centre of the reported political restructuring is a proposal to move Pakistan away from its parliamentary system towards a presidential form of government. Other proposals include the creation of new provinces and administrative units and changes in how financial resources are distributed between the federal government and the provinces.
The most significant element of the reported framework is the proposal to make the military an “equal stakeholder” in important state decisions. Pakistan’s armed forces have historically exercised substantial influence over the country’s political system and foreign policy, including through periods of direct military rule. The reported proposal would seek to place that influence within a formal constitutional framework.
Munir’s Presidential push and the Sharif-Bhutto challenge
The proposed presidential system would mark a major change in Pakistan’s political structure. According to the reports, the idea is influenced partly by governance models in Turkey and Egypt, where Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi exercise considerable executive authority.
The source cited by News18 said Munir believes a stronger presidency could facilitate quicker decision-making and ensure greater continuity in policymaking. The proposal also reportedly has a diplomatic dimension. According to the source, Munir believes that direct engagement with heads of state under full diplomatic protocol could enhance Pakistan’s standing in dealings with major powers, including the United States and China.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari says Trump mentioned Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir 90 times as “my best Field Marshal” — before declaring: “He’s not his, he’s our Field Marshal.”
Zardari, once dubbed “Mr. 10%,” now now shamelessly buttering Field Marshal Asim Munir… pic.twitter.com/LiyZHGUW3G
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) August 14, 2026
Munir has already assumed a prominent role in Pakistan’s international diplomacy, either meeting heads of state himself or accompanying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during important foreign visits. His expanding political and diplomatic role comes as the military establishment argues that political power has remained concentrated within established political families, particularly the Sharifs and Bhuttos/Zardaris.
According to the reports, the military establishment associates this concentration of political power with governance failures and corruption. The reported proposals therefore come at a time when Pakistan is dealing with economic instability, high debt, political polarisation and questions surrounding the effectiveness of successive civilian governments.
Pakistan’s previous experience with presidential rule came under Pervez Musharraf. He removed then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and imposed martial law following the 1999 Kargil War, remaining in power until 2008. Any return to a presidential system would require significant constitutional changes and, according to the reports, could encounter opposition from major political parties.
28th amendment, new provinces and a 10-year economic roadmap
Alongside the proposed presidential system, a potential 28th Constitutional Amendment could reportedly provide a framework for further structural changes. New provinces and administrative units are among the proposals under consideration, while the distribution of financial resources between the federal government and provinces could also be altered.
The political proposals are being discussed alongside a broader 10-year economic roadmap prepared by Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council, or SIFC. According to the reports, the plan focuses on investment, minerals, mining, defence-related industries and foreign direct investment.
The SIFC was established to streamline investment and reduce bureaucratic obstacles. It has also given the military a prominent role in attracting and facilitating investment. The proposed economic framework could therefore operate alongside the reported constitutional and political changes, bringing the military, political leadership, bureaucracy and economy into a potentially different institutional relationship.
If implemented, the proposals would go beyond another constitutional amendment and seek to redefine the distribution of authority within Pakistan’s state structure. The reported plan would combine a possible presidential system, new provinces and administrative units, revised federal-provincial financial arrangements and a formal military role in key state decisions.
For the Sharif and Bhutto/Zardari political dynasties, the reported restructuring could place their established position within Pakistan’s political system under pressure.
