The Ministry of Defence on Friday officially notified Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir as the country’s first chief of defence forces (CDF), a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The notification, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said: “In exercise of the powers conferred under Article 243 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, read with Section 8A of the Pakistan Army Act, the president on the advice of the prime minister, is pleased to appoint Field Marshal Asim Munir (NI) M as the chief of army staff, concurrently the chief of defence forces for a tenure of five years.”
A separate notification issued by the ministry also notified Zardari’s approval of the prime minister’s advice regarding the leadership of the air force.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 243 of the Consitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, read with Section 10B of the Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, the president on the advice of the prime minister is pleased to extend the appointment of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar (NI) M, as chief of the air staff for a tenure of two years with effect from March 19, 2026,” a separate notification said.
The extension will take effect upon completion of his current five-year term in March next year, keeping him in office until March 2028.
The army chief has been named the first CDF in the most sweeping restructuring of the military command since the 1970s.
The new arrangement consolidates operational, administrative and strategic authority in a single office established through amendments to Article 243 of the Constitution under the 27th Amendment.
The revised Article 243 provides that the president, acting on the prime minister’s advice, shall appoint the chief of the army staff, who will concurrently serve as the chief of defence forces.
The amendment also abolished the office of chairman joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC), dismantling the tri-service coordination system in place since 1976 and transferring joint command integration to the CDF.
PM Shehbaz, in a post on X, again congratulated Field Marshal Munir on his “historic” appointment.
“As the sentinel of our nation’s security, his leadership has been pivotal in guiding our brave armed forces to a decisive victory in the battle for truth,” he said.
“The people of Pakistan will always remember his bold and courageous leadership in wartime, that unified the armed forces, galvanised the entire nation and secured a historic victory for our homeland,” he said.
He also congratulated the air chief marshal. “Under his exemplary command, the Pakistan Air Force destroyed seven enemy aircraft and sophisticated missile defence systems with unmatched professionalism and reinforced Pakistan’s air superiority,” he said in an apparent reference to the May conflict with India.
“All national institutions stand united for the defence, development, and prosperity of Pakistan,” he said, adding that “together we will make our country’s defence truly invincible”.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also congratulated Field Marshal Munir and ACM Babar.
Those who gave the nation a “historic win”, the nation was today honouring them in admission of their “endless service”, Asif posted on X.
‘Pakistan’s defence has strengthened’
Today, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan’s defence had strengthened after the army chief’s appointment as the CDF.
He expressed these views while speaking to the media, during which he also appeared to be referring to speculation surrounding the notification for appointment to the CDF post.
“They had brewed a storm in a teacup,” he said, adding, “Those who were spreading rumours on social media and electronic media should feel ashamed in front of the nation today.”
He said Pakistan’s defence had now strengthened, and “the enemy will now be worried that Pakistan has established a unified command for all forces by making structural changes”.
Five-year tenure reset
To translate the constitutional overhaul into the military’s legal framework, the government amended the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) of 1952 in the wake of the 27th Amendment.
Sub-section (i) of PAA’s Article 8A now states that “for the first appointment of the chief of the army staff concurrently the chief of the defence forces […], the tenure under this section shall commence from the date of notification of the said office”.
It explains that upon the issuance of the notification for the first COAS-plus-CDF, the “existing tenure of the incumbent chief of the army staff shall be deemed to have recommenced from the date of such notification”.
Under sub-section (iii) of Article 8A, the “terms and conditions” of the COAS concurrently with the CDF shall be determined by the president on the prime minister’s advice.
Field Marshal Munir was appointed army chief on Nov 29, 2022, becoming the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army.
In November 2024, the government brought changes to the PAA, extending the tenure for all three services chiefs from three to five years, keeping the CJCSC’s tenure unchanged at three years. The same amendments allowed the services chiefs to be reappointed and/or their tenures to be extended for up to five years, instead of up to three years.
Therefore, in line with the restructuring under the 27th Amendment, the recent PAA changes allow the president, on the prime minister’s advice, to reappoint the COAS-plus-CDF for another five years, or extend his tenure by up to five years, creating legal space for him to retain his position till December 2035.
Delay in notification
The prolonged delay in issuing the notification had triggered intense speculation, especially after the post of CJCSC was abolished on Nov 27 when Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza retired.
The absence of a notification on Nov 29, the date when Field Marshal Munir’s original three-year term as army chief (prior to last year’s amendment) ended, fuelled further uncertainty about whether the government was holding back the appointment to negotiate upcoming four-star postings.
Political circles suggested the delay may have been used to bargain over the selection of the new Commander National Strategic Command (CNSC), the Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) and potentially a future ISI chief.
The army had already clarified that no VCOAS was being appointed. Under the amended law, the appointments of the CNSC and any VCOAS are tied to the CDF’s recommendations.
Government officials repeatedly denied any tensions with the military, maintaining that procedural requirements and the prime minister’s travel itinerary dictated the timeline. Nonetheless, the silence was widely viewed as unusual, especially after the speed with which the 27th Amendment was rushed through parliament.
The amendment also empowers the federal government to define the CDF’s functions, including multi-domain integration, restructuring and enhancing jointness across services.
New organogram
Meanwhile, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Thursday the defence ministry was finalising a new organogram for the CDF and had shared a draft with the Prime Minister’s Office a day earlier.
He dispelled the impression of differences over a CDF notification, stressing that it was delayed since the premier was out of the country.
Officials say the organogram will lay out the command flows between the CDF, the service chiefs and the newly established strategic command.
