Field Marshal Asim Munir Appointed as Pakistan’s First Chief of Defence Forces

The Ministry of Defence officially notified Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday. He is now the country’s first chief of defence forces (CDF). This notification came a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment. The approval was given on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said: “In exercise of the powers conferred under Article 243 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, read with Section 8A of the Pakistan Army Act, the president, on the advice of the prime minister, is pleased to appoint Field Marshal Asim Munir (NI) M. He is appointed as the chief of army staff and concurrently the chief of defence forces. His tenure is for five years.”

The ministry issued a separate notification. It notified Zardari’s approval of the prime minister’s advice. This advice was regarding the leadership of the air force.

“The president, on the advice of the prime minister, is pleased to extend the appointment of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar (NI) M. This is executed by exercising powers from Article 243 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. It is also read with Section 10B of the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953. The extension is for a tenure of two years with effect from March 19, 2026,” a separate notification said.

The extension will take effect upon completion of his current five-year term in March next year, keeping him in office until March 2028.

The army chief has been named the first CDF in the most sweeping restructuring of the military command since the 1970s.

The new arrangement consolidates operational, administrative, and strategic authority in a single office. This office is established through amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution. These changes are made under the 27th Amendment.

The revised Article 243 provides that the president, acting on the prime minister’s advice, shall appoint the chief of the army staff, who will concurrently serve as the chief of defence forces.

The amendment also abolished the office of chairman joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC), dismantling the tri-service coordination system in place since 1976 and transferring joint command integration to the CDF.

On Thursday, PM Shehbaz had conveyed his best wishes to Field Marshal Munir.

“Our brave armed forces, under the leadership of Field Marshal Munir, achieved victory over the enemy. It was a humiliating defeat,” the prime minister said in the statement.

Five-year tenure reset

To enact the constitutional overhaul within the military’s legal framework, the government amended the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) of 1952. This occurred in the wake of the 27th Amendment.

Sub-section (i) of PAA’s Article 8A now states that “for the first appointment of the chief of the army staff concurrently the chief of the defence forces […], the tenure under this section shall commence from the date of notification of the said office”.

It explains that upon the issuance of the notification for the first COAS-plus-CDF, the “existing tenure of the incumbent chief of the army staff shall be deemed to have recommenced from the date of such notification”.

Under sub-section (iii) of Article 8A, the “terms and conditions” of the COAS concurrently with the CDF shall be determined by the president on the prime minister’s advice.

Field Marshal Munir was appointed army chief on Nov 29, 2022. He became the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army.

In November 2024, the government brought changes to the PAA. They extended the tenure for all three services chiefs from three to five years. However, the CJCSC’s tenure remained unchanged at three years. The same amendments allowed the services chiefs to be reappointed and/or their tenures to be extended for up to five years, instead of up to three years.

Therefore, in line with the restructuring under the 27th Amendment, the recent PAA changes allow the president to reappoint the COAS-plus-CDF for another five years on the prime minister’s advice. Alternatively, the president may extend his tenure by up to five years. This creates legal space for him to retain his position till December 2035.

Delay in notification

The prolonged delay in issuing the notification had triggered intense speculation. This happened especially after the post of CJCSC was abolished on Nov 27. This was when Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza retired.

There was no notification on Nov 29. This was the date when Field Marshal Munir’s original three-year term as army chief ended, prior to last year’s amendment. This absence fuelled further uncertainty. People wondered whether the government was holding back the appointment to negotiate upcoming four-star postings.

Political circles suggested the delay might have been a bargaining tool. The bargaining could involve the selection of the new Commander National Strategic Command (CNSC) and the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS). It might even concern potentially a future ISI chief.

The army had already clarified that no VCOAS was being appointed. Under the amended law, the appointments of the CNSC and any VCOAS are tied to the CDF’s recommendations.

Government officials repeatedly denied any tensions with the military. They maintained that procedural requirements dictated the timeline. The prime minister’s travel itinerary also played a role. Nonetheless, the silence was widely viewed as unusual. This was especially notable after the 27th Amendment was rushed through parliament.

The amendment also empowers the federal government to define the CDF’s functions. This includes multi-domain integration. It also involves restructuring and enhancing jointness across services.

New organogram

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar made a statement on Thursday. He said that the defence ministry was finalising a new organogram for the CDF. They had shared a draft with the Prime Minister’s Office a day earlier.

He dispelled the impression of differences over a CDF notification. He stressed that it was delayed because the premier was out of the country.

Officials say the organogram will lay out the command flows. It will detail the structure between the CDF, the service chiefs, and the newly established strategic command.

Source: Dawn