Why Pakistan Is Poor but Its Army Is Extremely Rich: Have you ever heard of an army that sells soap, cement, cooking oil, clothes, meat, insurance, and real estate? This is not fiction. This description fits only one army in the world i.e., the Pakistan Army. Unlike conventional armed forces that exist solely for national defense, the Pakistan Army operates as a massive commercial empire embedded deeply into the country’s economy.
From daily consumer goods to large-scale infrastructure projects, the military’s presence is everywhere. It is not limited to defense spending or military hardware. Instead, it controls industries that directly affect the lives of ordinary citizens.
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Control Over Real Estate and Retirement Privileges
One of the most powerful sectors under military dominance is real estate. The Pakistan Army effectively controls large portions of the country’s real estate market. Retired generals are allotted multiple residential and commercial plots after their service, often at prime locations and at negligible cost.
These properties are not symbolic rewards. They are assets worth crores, forming the foundation of generational wealth. While an average Pakistani struggles to afford basic housing, senior military officers retire into extraordinary prosperity.
An Army Richer Than the Country It Serves
Estimates suggest that the net worth of the Pakistan Army exceeds one lakh crore rupees. If the combined wealth of just the top one hundred officers is calculated, it crosses thirty-five thousand crore rupees. This wealth is reflected not only in domestic assets but also in foreign properties. Many officers’ families own houses in the United Kingdom, and their children are educated abroad.
This level of affluence stands in sharp contrast to the economic reality faced by ordinary Pakistanis, many of whom struggle for daily essentials.
Economic Grip on Essential Services
The army’s economic reach goes far beyond luxury. Even basic necessities like bread are produced through military-controlled bakeries. Banks, insurance companies, and industrial units operate under military ownership or influence. Nearly one-third of Pakistan’s heavy industry and around seven percent of all private assets are under military control.
The armed forces also own banks and financial institutions, giving them unmatched leverage over capital flow and credit distribution within the country.
Legal Privileges and Unequal Competition
Military-run organizations such as the Army Welfare Trust and Fauji Foundation enjoy exemptions from income tax. This creates an uneven playing field where private companies cannot compete fairly. First, profits are generated through commercial ventures, and later, laws are amended to protect and legitimize these advantages.
As a result, private entrepreneurship is stifled, innovation suffers, and economic growth remains concentrated within military circles.
The Bajwa Family Wealth Question
A striking example often cited is that of former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. In 2016, his wife reportedly had no declared assets. By the time he retired, her wealth was estimated at around two hundred and twenty crore rupees. If the entire family’s assets are considered, the figure reportedly crossed twelve hundred crore rupees.
This raises obvious questions. There is no known business activity that explains such exponential growth. Even when cumulative salaries are added, the numbers simply do not align. The question then becomes unavoidable: where did this money come from?
Media Silence and Institutional Control
These questions rarely reach public debate because key institutions are under military influence. Media houses, courts, and regulatory bodies function within invisible boundaries. When such control exists, accountability becomes impossible.
Many independent observers believe that Pakistan’s economy cannot grow unless the army’s role in business and governance is drastically reduced. However, any attempt in this direction is quickly neutralized.
Pakistan Army: The Country’s Largest Real Estate Developer
The Pakistan Army is also the country’s biggest real estate developer. It operates more than fifty housing projects across major cities. In Islamabad alone, it controls approximately sixteen thousand acres of land. In Karachi, the figure exceeds twelve thousand acres.
Much of this land has been allotted by the government free of cost. Any authority or official who resists military decisions is swiftly removed from power.
Political Engineering and Power Games
Pakistan’s political history is filled with examples of military interference. General Bajwa played a key role in making Imran Khan the Prime Minister, and in return, Imran Khan facilitated an extension of Bajwa’s tenure. The conflict began when Bajwa attempted to control his succession by backing General Asim Munir.
Imran Khan opposed this move, knowing that Asim Munir would not support him in future elections. Instead, Imran supported General Faiz. This power struggle led to Imran Khan’s removal and the installation of the Sharif government, which promptly appointed Asim Munir as Army Chief.
Economic Crisis and the IMF Dependency
Pakistan spends a significant portion of its foreign exchange reserves on oil and gas imports. After global conflicts drove energy prices up, Pakistan’s reserves collapsed. India managed to avoid a similar fate by purchasing discounted oil from Russia, but Pakistan was forced to buy expensive oil from Gulf nations.
With reserves drying up, Pakistan was left with limited options: foreign aid, fresh loans, or another visit to the International Monetary Fund. Pakistan has taken IMF loans thirteen times and has failed to sustainably repay them. Lending to governments is generally considered safe, but Pakistan has become an exception.
Why Peace With India Is Not Desired
Political analysts widely believe that the Pakistan Army has no interest in improving relations with India. A peaceful environment would raise questions about massive defense budgets and military dominance. History provides repeated examples.
When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan to meet Nawaz Sharif in 2016, a terrorist attack occurred in Pathankot within a week. When President Asif Ali Zardari spoke of adopting a no-first-use nuclear policy, a major terror attack followed. In 1999, despite the Lahore Declaration signed by Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then Army Chief Pervez Musharraf secretly planned and executed the Kargil conflict and later overthrew the elected government.
Looting the Public Trust
The exploitation is not limited to politics and defense. Pakistan’s Chief Justice once raised funds for a dam project that was never built. Celebrities donated, including well-known singers, yet the money vanished.
Pakistan International Airlines witnessed a senior officer allegedly selling an aircraft in Europe. From aviation to infrastructure, corruption runs deep, and the common citizen pays the price.
Why Pakistan Is Poor but Its Army Is Extremely Rich: The World’s Most Unusual Army
Pakistan’s current crisis cannot be resolved through loans or temporary aid. Long-term stability is possible only when power shifts away from military control and democratic institutions are allowed to function independently.
Until the economy, governance, and accountability are separated from military dominance, Pakistan’s situation is unlikely to improve. The issue is not a lack of resources, but who controls them and for whose benefit.
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