India, Jan. 19 -- Pakistan's Chief of Defence Staff and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has again kicked up a storm of politics and ideology with a carefully crafted utterance concerning the original aim behind the foundation of Pakistan. When Munir declared that Pakistan was founded in the name of Islam and is presently moving very quickly towards its original point of direction, he reignited a controversy that has defined Pakistan since its foundation in 1947.

His remarks made at a glittering social meet at Lahore and interpreted in a recent interview conflate religiosity, nationhood, and military prowess into a unified narrative. This particular utterance of Munir is more than a mere gesture.

"The original founders had in mind the Isla...