Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, promoted to the five-star rank on May 20, 2025, has drawn criticism from Indian analysts for his expressed desire for martyrdom, voiced during a Brussels address in August 2025, especially amid reports of his retreat to a bunker during India’s Operation Sindoor that same month, which targeted terrorist camps and Pakistani military sites. Munir, who began his military career on April 25, 1986, and rose through roles including Director-General of the ISI until June 16, 2019, is known for his deep Islamic roots, having studied at a Rawalpindi seminary and proudly identifying as a Hafiz-e-Quran, often weaving Quranic verses and theology into public speeches to frame Pakistan’s ideology and relations with India under the two-nation theory. Critics argue this strong religious inclination, uncommon among past army chiefs, risks undermining the professionalism of Pakistan’s military by blending ideology with command, potentially prioritizing zealotry over strategic discipline amid ongoing Indo-Pak tensions.