Bangladesh, Sept. 23 -- On September 6, in a post on X, Pakistans jailed former prime minister Imran Khan drew a sharp historical comparison. He equated the present Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, with General Yahya Khan—the autocrat whose reckless leadership culminated in Pakistans breakup in 1971. Khans remark was more than mere political rhetoric. As Munir approaches the close of what began as a three-year term—now extended to five years through constitutional amendments pushed by his civilian partners under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—his tenure is drawing concern, not only for the mounting human toll but also for what it signals about the countrys political direction.

In any military across the world, no st...