From Rawalpindi to London: How Pakistan’s army under Asim Munir is targeting critics beyond its borders

A broken frame of Pakistan's field marshal and army chief, Asim Munir, hangs on the wall after an attack at the Cadet College Wana, a military-linked school, in the South Waziristan district near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, on November 13, 2025. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP)

Pakistan’s military under Asim Munir is accused of intensifying transnational repression, targeting dissidents abroad with threats and violence, enabled by constitutional changes granting Munir immunity. Western responses are criticized as inadequate.

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Pakistan is facing mounting accusations of conducting a systematic campaign of transnational repression to silence critics living abroad, with analysts warning that the effort has sharply intensified under the leadership of army chief Asim Munir.

According to a report published by Greek City Times, the Pakistani military under Munir has moved beyond domestic intimidation and is now actively targeting dissidents in Western democracies through threats, violence and coercion.

Observers cited in the report argue that Munir has personally driven this “dangerous” strategy, particularly against individuals linked to former prime minister Imran Khan, who remains jailed.

By framing political opponents as existential threats to the state, Munir is accused of justifying surveillance, intimidation and physical attacks on Pakistani citizens even after they flee the country.

A legal shield for repression

The report points to Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment, enacted in late 2025, as a key enabler of this campaign.

The amendment granted Munir “lifetime immunity, created a puppet court, and stripped judicial oversight”, effectively placing him beyond legal accountability and giving the military sweeping authority to pursue dissidents anywhere in the world.

With domestic checks dismantled, critics say the Pakistani army has exported its coercive tactics overseas.

“Pakistan’s military establishment is running a dirty transnational repression campaign against dissidents in Western countries. This is not speculation; it is a pattern under which the Pakistani state critics are hunted, threatened, assaulted, and terrorised in their homes abroad, while their families inside Pakistan are squeezed as leverage,” the report said.

“The military’s goal is simple: break critics psychologically, force them into silence, and warn everyone else that exile does not protect them. It is an extension of Pakistan’s domestic coercion model into Western streets, using criminal proxies and deniable intimidation,” it added.

Violence spreads across Western capitals

According to the report, repression under Munir has evolved from visa harassment and legal pressure into coordinated physical violence across Western countries.

These attacks have reportedly included firearms, arson attempts, acid attacks and assaults carried out by trained operatives who appear confident that host governments will not act decisively.

The United Kingdom has emerged as a key flashpoint.

“The most recent and clearest evidence is in the United Kingdom. In January 2026, the local media reported that Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command took over an investigation into ‘highly targeted’ attacks on Pakistani dissidents living in the UK, including prominent supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan,” the report noted.

It detailed a pattern of sustained violence.

“The attacks were violent and sustained, including assault, a firearm incident, attempted arson, and repeated property damage. One victim, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a human-rights lawyer and former cabinet member under Khan, was attacked after the assailant confirmed his identity and then punched him repeatedly in front of his family,” it said.

A climate of fear beyond Pakistan’s borders

Analysts argue that these operations mirror Pakistan’s long-standing domestic playbook, where critics are silenced through fear while their families are pressured at home.

What has changed under Munir, they say, is the scale and brazenness. Dissidents who once believed exile offered safety now find themselves under threat in countries that pride themselves on rule of law.

The report argues that the Pakistani military is betting on deniability and Western reluctance to escalate diplomatic confrontations, even as violence unfolds on their soil.

Western response called “woefully” inadequate

Despite the growing body of evidence, the report criticises Western governments for failing to respond forcefully.

It said that responses so far have been “woefully” inadequate, allowing Pakistan’s military establishment to operate with near impunity beyond its borders.

For critics, the message from Rawalpindi is blunt. Under Asim Munir, Pakistan’s military is no longer content with crushing dissent at home. It is now prepared to chase its critics across continents, testing the resolve of democratic states and exposing the cost of inaction.