Pakistan's Munir gains more power; appointed Chief of Defense Forces
What's the story
Pakistan President Arif Alvi has appointed Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as the country's first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). The appointment is for a five-year term. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had recommended Munir for the dual roles of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and CDF. The Pakistani president also approved a two-year extension of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu's service, effective March 19, 2026.
Role establishment
New role aims to centralize military command
The CDF position was created under the 27th Amendment to Pakistan's Constitution last month. The amendment seeks to centralize military command in the country. Munir, who was promoted to Field Marshal this year, will also continue as COAS while serving as CDF. He is only the second officer in Pakistan's history to hold the Field Marshal title after Gen. Ayub Khan, who led Pakistan during the 1965 war with India.
Notification delay
Delay in notification sparks speculation
Initially, the delay in notifying Munir's appointment as CDF had sparked speculation about Sharif's willingness to give more power to Munir. Former member of India's National Security Advisory Board, Tilak Devasher, suggested that Sharif was deliberately avoiding the issue. Speaking to ANI, Devasher said Sharif's trips to Bahrain and London indicated he was trying to avoid issuing the notification. "He clearly doesn't want to issue the notification giving...Munir 5 years as Army chief and as Chief of Defense Forces."
Expert opinion
Devasher warns of constitutional and operational gaps
Devasher said that the delay in notifying Munir's appointment could create constitutional and operational gaps in Pakistan. "If the fact remains that he (Munir) is no longer the Army chief, then you have a situation where Pakistan doesn't have an Army chief and even the nuclear command authority, which was supposed to be under the new post of Strategic Forces Command, is also not there. So, it's an extremely strange situation that Pakistan is under at the moment," he said.