Gen Asim Munir named the next army chief

Top of the seniority list of three stars, Munir will take over command of the Pakistan army on the retirement of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

By Naveed Naqvi

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has decided to appoint Lt-Gen Asim Munir as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Lt. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said in a message on Thursday over the social media website Twitter that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif using the constitutional authority has appointed Lt-Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Lt-Gen Syed Asim Munir as the Chief of the Army Staff.

She said that a summary of important appointments has been sent to the President of Pakistan.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif separately tweeted that the advice has gone to President Arif Alvi, now its Imran Khan’s test whether he wants to strengthen the national defense organization or controversial.

He said that now it is also a test for President Arif Alvi whether he will follow political advice or constitutional and legal advice. As the supreme commander of the forces, it is his duty to protect the institution from political conflicts.

Lieutenant General Asim Munir

The senior most three-star officer in the Pakistan Army, Munir has served in many important positions including DGISI, Corps Commander Gujranwala and DG MI.

He joined the Pakistan Army after completing his training at the Officers Training School, Mangla, and won the sword of honour for his excellent performance during the training. Upon completion of training, he received a commission in the Frontier Force Regiment of the Pakistan Army.

General Asim Munir, who is also a Hafiz Quran, has a strong track record of staff and command duties. He served as Commander Force Command Northern Area in 2014 and then DG Military Intelligence in 2017.

After being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in October 2018, he was appointed as DG Military ISI, where after serving for some time, he was appointed as Corps Commander Gujranwala in June 2019.

Presently, General Asim is serving as Quartermaster General at the GHQ, a post he assumed in October 2021.

Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza

Mirza joined the Pakistan Army after completing his training from PMA, and started his military career with 8 Sindh Regiment. He has been serving as Corps Commander Rawalpindi since September 2021.

Mirza also served as Adjutant General GHQ for a short period. He was appointed as Vice Chief of General Staff in October 2018 and Chief of General Staff in June 2019. Also served as DGMO from 2015 to 2018.

General Sahir Shamshad was also part of the intra-Afghan talks in the Quadrilateral Contact Group consisting of Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and the United States, and represented the military at the Gilgit-Baltistan Reforms Committee.