The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the promotion of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir to field marshal for his leadership in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos and the period of conflict against India known as Marka-i-Haq.
He was formally promoted to the position with immediate effect in a notification from the Ministry of Defence under “Rule 199-A of the Pakistan Army Regulations (Rules), 1998”.
The rank of field marshal is the highest rank of armies built on the pattern of the British Army. It has only been awarded to one other — General Mohammad Ayub Khan — by the presidential cabinet in 1959. It is a ceremonial five-star rank that usually signifies extraordinary leadership and wartime achievement.
The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued today also said that the government unanimously decided to continue the services of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his term ends.
It did not say for how long Sidhu’s job would be extended, nor did it say whether Munir’s promotion to the rank of field marshal would mean that he has no retirement date.
Gen Munir, commissioned via the Officers Training School Mangla into the Frontier Force Regiment, was promoted to three-star rank in September 2018 and assumed charge two months later, with his four-year term ending on November 27. Munir served as Military Intelligence chief in 2017 and briefly as Inter-Services Intelligence chief in 2018, before being replaced within eight months on then-premier Imran Khan’s insistence. He later commanded the Gujranwala Corps for two years before becoming the quartermaster general at the General Headquarters.
“The government of Pakistan has approved the promotion of General Syed Asim Munir (Nishan-i-Imtiaz Military) to the rank of field marshal for ensuring the security of the country and defeating the enemy based on the high strategy and courageous leadership during Marka-i-Haq and Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” the PMO said after a federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Retelling the events of the military conflict with India, the statement further said that COAS Munir led the army “with exemplary courage and determination and coordinated the war strategy and efforts of the armed forces in a comprehensive manner”.
It added: “Thanks to the unparalleled leadership of the army chief, Pakistan achieved a historic victory in Marka-i-Haq.
“In recognition of his outstanding military leadership, courage, and bravery, ensuring Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and courageous defence against the enemy, the cabinet approved the prime minister’s proposal to promote General Syed Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal.”
It was also decided that officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army, war veterans, martyrs and citizens belonging to various sectors would be awarded high government awards in recognition of their valuable services during the operation, the statement said.
The statement added that PM Shehbaz met President Asif Ali Zardari and took him into confidence regarding this decision.
“Under General Syed Asim Munir’s leadership, the armed forces have successfully defended the homeland,” Zardari was quoted as saying in a statement from the presidency.
He said the army chief deserved the promotion for effectively countering Indian aggression, successfully defending the homeland and employing excellent military strategy.
He also congratulated Sidhu on the extension of his tenure.
“Today, Pakistan salutes Field Marshal Asim Munir as well as our brave countrymen, soldiers, martyrs, and their families,” PM Shehbaz also said on X.
Accepting the honour, COAS Munir said he was grateful to God for receiving the position, dedicating it to the “entire nation, the armed forces of Pakistan, especially the civil and military martyrs and veterans”.
“I am grateful to the president of Pakistan, the prime minister and the cabinet for their trust,” he said in a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), adding that the honour was the trust of the nation, for which “millions of Asims have sacrificed themselves”.
“This is not an individual honour but an honour for the armed forces of Pakistan and the entire nation,” he said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi congratulated COAS Munir on his promotion to the rank and expressed his best wishes for the army chief.
“General Syed Asim Munir has achieved this position through hard work, talent and professional skills,” the interior minister said, according to a post on the ministry’s X account.
The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as tensions over last month’s Pahalgam attack continued to build up. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir, resulting in civilian casualties. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets.
After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10, when tensions between the two countries peaked, for both sides to finally drop their guns as a ceasefire was reached. India has since continued its aggressive posturing even as Pakistan has warned against any further military aggression and offered talks. Officials from both countries confirmed that the ceasefire does not have an expiry date, putting to rest the speculations that the truce would lapse this weekend unless renewed.
