Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally forwarded the summary for the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir as Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) to President Asif Ali Zardari, marking a historic shift in the military command structure. According to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office, the appointment will elevate the current Chief of the Army Staff to a dual-hatted role, effective for a five-year tenure.
The CDF position has been created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment and replaces the now-defunct office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which legally ceased to exist on November 27. As a result, the new role consolidates strategic oversight under a single military head, reflecting a structural realignment designed to streamline inter-services coordination.
Field Marshal Asim Munir will therefore serve simultaneously as Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, becoming the first officer in Pakistan’s history to occupy this newly established four-star-plus command. The appointment signifies a shift toward a centralised defence leadership model, similar to systems found in other major military powers.
A key outstanding decision concerns the appointment of the commander of the National Strategic Command, a separate four-star post designed to manage the country’s nuclear portfolio. This position replaces the nuclear oversight responsibilities previously assigned to the CJCSC, aligning command and control with the country’s revised defence architecture.
In a related development, the prime minister has approved a two-year extension for the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu. The extension will take effect after the completion of his current five-year tenure in March 2026, bringing his service to a total of seven years in office.
The decisions underscore the government’s focus on continuity within military leadership while simultaneously initiating a major institutional overhaul. With defence realignment underway and top-level appointments nearing finalisation, the presidency’s approval will mark the formal beginning of the new command framework.