Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the appointment of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). He will hold this position for five years. This is a major development because the post of CDF was created only last month through the 27th Amendment to Pakistan’s Constitution. The role is meant to centralise the country’s military leadership under one command.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had sent a recommendation to appoint Asim Munir as both the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) and the Chief of Defence Forces. The President accepted this recommendation, and the announcement was made through the official X handle of the President of Pakistan.

There had been a lot of speculation in Pakistan’s political and defence circles about whether Prime Minister Sharif would give more power to Asim Munir. Munir’s previous three-year term as Army chief ended on November 29, but the government delayed the official notification. This delay raised questions about the government’s intentions.

Some analysts claimed that Sharif was avoiding signing the notification. Former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board, Tilak Devasher, told ANI that Prime Minister Sharif travelled to Bahrain and then London to avoid making the decision. According to him, Sharif did not want to be directly responsible for giving Munir an extended and more powerful role. He described the situation as “messy” and said it created confusion in Pakistan’s military command.

Devasher also warned that the delay caused both constitutional and operational problems. He said that if Munir’s earlier term had officially ended before the new appointment was confirmed, Pakistan was technically left without an Army chief for some time. This also affected the country’s nuclear command structure, which depends on the military’s top leadership.

Along with Munir’s appointment, President Zardari also approved a two-year extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu. His extended term will begin in March 2026. President Zardari congratulated both officers and wished them success.

Asim Munir, who was promoted to the rare rank of Field Marshal earlier this year, is only the second military officer in Pakistan’s history to receive this title. The first was General Ayub Khan, who ruled Pakistan and led the country during the 1965 war with India. With this new appointment, Asim Munir will now serve as both the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Forces, giving him significant authority over Pakistan’s military structure.