Major rift between Pakistan army, ISI amid multi-front crises; Asim Munir issues blunt warning: Report

• Rift widens between Pakistan army and ISI over intel failures
• Munir warns intelligence agencies to improve or face reshuffle
• Pakistan grapples with rising security issues and internal insurgencies

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Did intelligence failure during Operation Sindoor trigger a massive rift between Pakistani army and ISI, the country's two most powerful establishments? Several reports seem to indicate that all is not well between the two branches of Pakistan's security establishment as the country deals with one challenge after another.

There are indications of a major reshuffle in Pakistan's intelligence setup after a series of failures led to heavy casualties among security forces, news agency IANS has reported.

The report, citing officials aware of the development, said that coordination between the Asim Munir-led army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has weakened in the last few months.

The mounting security challenges have further deepened these tensions. Pakistan is facing a near war-like escalation with Afghanistan on its western front even as it continues to grapple with a resurgent Baloch insurgency.

At the same time, its inability to curb attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has turned into a major security nightmare for both the Army and the ISI.

The IANS report said the TTP has even set up checkpoints to restrict the movement of Pakistani forces, further exposing shortcomings in the country’s intelligence apparatus.

Meanwhile, Pakistan army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has taken a firm stance, warning intelligence agencies to step up their performance. In a recent meeting with top Army and ISI officials, he reportedly delivered a blunt message: “perform or perish.”

The report said that warning did not go down well with the ISI amid fears of a reshuffle that may see senior officers being shunted out.

Munir is reportedly dissatisfied with the lack of actionable intelligence on key militant leaders, including those linked to the Balochistan insurgency and TTP. The Military Intelligence wing has also come under scrutiny for failing to provide reliable inputs on Taliban leadership.

Sources told CNN-News18 earlier this week that Munir lashed out at DG ISPR Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and other top generals over the lack of results in the ongoing war with Afghanistan and failure to eliminate any of the top leaders.

Pakistan has carried out strikes inside Afghanistan, but many have reportedly missed their intended targets, at times resulting in civilian casualties — further prolonging the conflict rather than resolving it. On Monday, Pakistani airstrikes hit a major drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, killing at least 400 civilians and injuring over 250. It was one of the deadliest incidents in the current phase of the conflict.

Officials quoted by IANS said that the Pakistani intelligence system is overstretched since it is simultaneously dealing with internal insurgencies and cross-border tensions.