Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Pakistan Names Field Marshal Asim Munir First Chief of Defence Forces With Five-Year Term

The move implements the 27th Amendment, replacing the joint chiefs with a single commander over all services.

Overview

  • The Defence Ministry issued the appointment under Article 243 and Army Act Clause 8A, making the five-year term effective from the notification date.
  • Munir will serve concurrently as Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, with the new office unifying command of the Army, Navy and Air Force and overseeing the National Strategic Command.
  • The CDF position derives from the recently passed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which also abolished the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
  • President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice after a brief gap following the end of Munir’s earlier COAS term on 29 November.
  • A separate order extended Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu’s service by two years, effective after his current term concludes on 19 March 2026.