Asim Munir appointed Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces

Pakistan has appointed Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), further consolidating his authority at the top of the military hierarchy.

President Asif Ali Zardari approved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recommendation to name Munir both chief of the army staff and chief of defence forces, the presidential office said in a post on X on Thursday. His tenure as CDF will last five years.

The position makes Munir the most powerful military figure in Pakistan, giving him authority not only over the Army, Navy and Air Force but also over the National Strategic Command, which manages the country’s nuclear weapons and missile systems, effectively handing him control of Pakistan’s “nuclear button", according to Indian broadcaster NDTV.

The new post also grants Munir legal protections equivalent to those of the president, including lifelong immunity from prosecution. Similar protections have been extended to the chiefs of the air force and navy.

The government had been expected to announce the first CDF last week, coinciding with the end of Munir’s three-year term as army chief.

The position was created under Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment, passed last month, which aims to centralise command across the armed forces.

President Zardari also extended the term of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu as head of the air force for another two years, effective Mar 19 next year.

Munir became only the second person in Pakistan to receive the title of Field Marshal this year. The first was Ayub Khan, who was awarded the rank for his role in the 1965 war with India.