Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was appointed Pakistan’s first chief of defence forces (CDF) on Thursday after President Asif Ali Zardari signed off on the summary recommending the appointment.
A press release from the presidency said the president also signed off on the two-year extension in the tenure of Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu and extended his best wishes to both military commanders for their upcoming terms.
The CDF position, created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, will replace the now-abolished office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) chairman, which formally ended on November 27. It would be a dual-hatted position combined with the office of the army chief.
Following the appointment of the COAS as CDF, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conveyed his best wishes to Field Marshal Munir.
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier said that the appointment of the chief of defence Forces is aligned with contemporary and modern warfare requirements and will further strengthen the country’s defence.
“Under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, our brave armed forces inflicted a humiliating defeat on the enemy,” the statement quoted the prime minister as saying.
The prime minister also congratulated Chief of the Air Staff Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu on the two-year extension in his tenure and conveyed his best wishes.
The statement further stated that under the field marshal’s leadership, “Pakistan achieved remarkable success in ‘Marka-i-Haq’, which earned Pakistan respect and recognition across the world”.
“Under the leadership of Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, the Pakistan Air Force destroyed enemy fighter jets by demonstrating outstanding professional capabilities in the “Battle of Truth” and asserted its dominance over the enemy,” the prime minister said.
“We will, together, make the country’s defence impregnable,” the premier added.
PM sends summary to president
Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a summary to President Zardari recommending the appointment of COAS Field Marshal Munir as CDF.
The prime minister approved the summary for the appointment of Field Marshal Munir “as the chief of army staff and the chief of defence forces”, and then referred it to the President House, said a press release by the PM Office (PMO).
