Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has formally appointed Discipline Marshal Syed Asim Munir because the nation’s first chief of defence forces (CDF) for a five-year time period. Munir may also proceed to function chief of Military workers (COAS), consolidating his position on the helm of the nation’s armed forces.
Made public by way of official X deal with of the President of Pakistan, the announcement confirmed, “President Asif Ali Zardari permitted the appointment of Discipline Marshal Syed Asim Munir as COAS concurrently as CDF for five years.”
President Asif Ali Zardari permitted the appointment of Discipline Marshal Syed Asim Munir as COAS concurrently as CDF for five years, and a 2-year extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu from 19 March 2026. The President conveyed his greatest needs to each. pic.twitter.com/RrIJNCC7I5
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) December 4, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had really useful Munir’s appointment for each posts, placing to relaxation months of hypothesis about whether or not the civilian management would totally endorse this unprecedented consolidation of navy authority. The official notification was lengthy delayed, as Munir’s unique three-year time period as Military chief ended on November 29.
The place of the chief of defence forces was solely established final month via the twenty seventh Modification to Pakistan’s Structure that was geared toward centralising navy command underneath a single authority.
As well as, President Zardari permitted a two-year extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, efficient March 19, 2026, additional stabilising Pakistan’s high navy management. Each appointments had been accompanied by the President’s greatest needs to the officers for his or her continued service.
Munir’s promotion to discipline marshal this 12 months makes him solely the second officer in Pakistan’s historical past to carry the distinguished rank, after Gen. Ayub Khan, who famously led the nation through the 1965 conflict with India.
The delayed notification had fuelled intense hypothesis inside defence and political circles. Tilak Devasher, a former member of India’s Nationwide Safety Advisory Board, instructed ANI that the prime minister’s absence from the nation appeared strategic.
“Very well, Pakistan PM had gone to Bahrain and from there, he pushed off to London,” Devasher had mentioned, including, “He’s intentionally staying out of this as a result of he clearly doesn’t wish to situation the notification giving Asim Munir 5 years as Military chief and as chief of defence forces. He thinks that by conserving away from Pakistan and never signing the notification, he can escape the implications”.
Devasher had additionally highlighted the constitutional and operational gaps created by the delay. “All in all, it is a very messy state of affairs. If the very fact stays that he (Asim Munir) is not the Military chief, then you may have a scenario the place Pakistan doesn’t have an Military chief and even the nuclear command authority, which was purported to be underneath the brand new put up of strategic forces command, can also be not there. So, it’s a particularly unusual scenario that Pakistan is underneath in the mean time,” he had added.
With the formal appointment now full, Munir steps right into a twin position that not solely cements his authority over Pakistan’s navy but in addition locations him on the centre of strategic decision-making for the subsequent 5 years.