ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the summary for the appointment of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as both the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).
According to reports, the approved summary has been forwarded to the Presidency.
Under the new arrangement, Asim Munir will simultaneously serve as Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces for a tenure of five years. His appointment marks the first time Pakistan is formally establishing the post of Chief of Defence Forces.
The prime minister has also approved a two-year extension in the tenure of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu. The extension will take effect after the completion of his current five-year term in March 2026.
‘I am announcing that General Asim Munir is the Chief of Defence Forces’
On December 01, 2025, Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi announced on Monday that General Asim Munir is the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), debunking all the rumours spread by unscrupulous elements on social media.
In an exclusive interview with ARY News, Federal Minister Hanif Abbasi stated, “I am announcing that General Asim Munir is the Chief of Defence Forces. I had also mentioned two days ago that General Asim Munir is a Field Marshal.”
Abbasi further hinted at the formality, saying, “The notification might have been issued. It is our will to announce it whenever we want. The respect that God has bestowed upon Pakistan through the Field Marshal is unparalleled; he shot down Indian aircraft while remaining within our limits, which the world is acknowledging.”
Criticism of PTI and Remarks on Army Chief Appointment
Commenting on the PTI, Hanif Abbasi used a local proverb (similar to ‘wishful thinking’), saying, “PTI’s situation is like a cat dreaming of scraps.” He added, “We have seen many prisons but never conspired against the country. Who staged a long march when he [General Asim Munir] was becoming Army Chief, trying to stop him? Wasn’t the Prime Minister threatened? But Asim Munir became the Army Chief.”
