General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been named chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC), and General Asim Munir has been named as the future chief of army staff, according to notifications released on Friday morning.
After President Arif Alvi approved the summary to nominate both of the senior military officers, there was no longer any uncertainty about important military appointments on Thursday evening.
The announcements from the Ministry of Defence stated that as a result, the current CJCSC Gen Nadeem Raza will step down on November 27 and the COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa will retire on November 29.
A notification stated that the president, acting in accordance with Article 243(4)(b) of the Constitution and Section 8A of the Pakistan Army Act 1952, was pleased to approve PA-25031 Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir’s promotion to the rank of General with immediate effect and his appointment as Chief of the Army Staff for a term of three years beginning on November 29, 2022.
Politicians from both the treasury and opposition benches praised the military officers after their appointments and expressed confidence in their ability to uphold the nation’s standards.
After being appointed to the high-level positions, the two top military officers also met with PM Shehbaz and President Alvi. The government representatives wished them luck in their new roles.
The Prime Minister’s Office and the Aiwan-e-Sadar respectively hosted the sessions.
The dangers
Even though the president approved the summary of nominations yesterday evening, there was some concern because he did not sign it immediately away after sending it to him.
The prime minister departed Islamabad for Lahore to speak with PTI Chairman Imran Khan over the situation at Zaman Park as he forwarded the report to the president.
Khan had stated that he and President Alvi will act “legally and constitutionally” on the topic in an interview Wednesday night, so all eyes were on the meeting.
After the lengthy conversation, the president departed for Islamabad and PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry stated that the President’s House would release a statement on his meeting with the PTI leader, another comment that sparked rumours.
The president, however, met with both military chiefs later in the day and approved the summary without any further issues before evening.
General Asim Munir: A Summary
Gen. Asim Munir graduated from the Mangala Officers Training School programme and enlisted in the Pakistani Army before being commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment.
As a brigadier, he oversaw the Northern Areas Force before being chosen as the Military Intelligence’s director-general in the beginning of the year. He was appointed as the Inter-Services Intelligence Director-General in 2018. (ISI).
After that, he served for two years as Corps Commander in Gujranwala. He is currently working at the General Headquarters as the Quarter Master (GHQ).
Summary of Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza’s career
Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, a member of the Sindh Regiment, oversaw military operations while Raheel Sharif was still the COAS.
In addition, Gen. Mirza was a member of the coordination team that monitored talks with Afghanistan and coordinated operations against militants in North Waziristan.
Additionally, he was a participant in the Gilgit-Baltistan Reforms Committee. Mirza was chosen to be the Chief of the General Staff after being promoted to Gen. He is currently the Corps Commander for Rawalpindi.
Wide-ranging rumours
Since the confidence motion against Khan was introduced in April, the nomination of the army commander has been a contentious issue. This is because Khan is trying to unseat the ruling coalition and retake the presidency.
COAS Bajwa, who is leaving his position on November 29, 2019, was offered a three-year extension in service by the previous prime minister Khan on August 19, 2019.
Whether or not Gen. Bajwa would request another extension was a subject of much discussion. The COAS did, however, make it known a few months ago that he intends to retire this year.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) at least a few times confirmed this, and Gen. Bajwa made it clear on two separate occasions that he had no intention of continuing in the position.
Currently, the general is concluding his farewell tour, which he began on November 1 with a stop at Army Air Defence Command and continued the next day with a stop at Armed Forces Strategic Forces Command.