Overview

• The on-camera exchange in New York during UNGA went viral after Asif struggled to clearly answer who has the final say in Pakistan’s power structure.
• Asif described Pakistan’s system as a hybrid arrangement and said disagreements with the army are resolved by consensus, denying military dominance.
• Pressed on whether a civilian leader could dismiss the army chief, he avoided a direct answer while contrasting Pakistan with the U.S. model of civilian control.
• He also called U.S. democracy a deep state and gave conflicting remarks about jailed ex–prime minister Imran Khan’s social-media activity, citing undisclosed intelligence.
• Analysts and unnamed intelligence sources cast the interview as tacit confirmation of army primacy, though no public evidence substantiates claims of de facto martial law, as diplomatic optics included President Donald Trump hosting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir at the White House.