Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Lt. General Syed Asim Munir as the new Chief of Army Staff.
The development follows months of nationwide hype and speculation over who will get the top army post. In a tweet on Thursday, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had appointed General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, while General Asim Munir is to be the new COAS.
A summary of the appointments has been sent to the President of Pakistan.
وزیراعظم پاکستان محمد شہباز شریف نے آئینی اختیار استعمال کرتے ہوئے لیفٹنٹ جنرل ساحر شمشاد مرزا کو چئیرمین جوائنٹ چیفس آف سٹاف اور لیفٹنٹ جنرل سید عاصم منیر کو چیف آف دی آرمی سٹاف مقرر کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا ہے۔ اس بابت سمری صدر پاکستان کو ارسال کر دی گئی ہے۔
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) November 24, 2022
Lt Gen Asim Munir has previously served as Director-General (DG) Military Intelligence (MI), Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Corps Commander Gujranwala and Quartermaster General at General Headquarters (GHQ).
Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad has served as Director-General Military Operations (DGMO) and Chief of General Staff (CGS), with both of these roles being the nerve centers for the military in terms of intelligence, information, and operational affairs. He is currently serving as Corps Commander Rawalpindi.
The appointment comes a day after former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa gave his farewell address on Wednesday, in which he reiterated the army’s ‘decision’ to ‘stay out of politics. The military’s past interference in politics, he said, was “unconstitutional”. Bajwa, however, was pained to note how many had resorted to unbecoming language for the military in place of welcoming the policy of neutrality.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information emerges.
