Karachi. Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir was made the Chief of Army Staff (COSA) on 29 November 2022, and his original tenure of 3 years is set to expire on 29 November 2025. However, last year the Parliament of Pakistan amended the law to increase the tenure of the Army Chief from 3 to 5 years. Due to this legal change, he can technically hold the position of COSA until 2027.
According to reports, Asim Munir has been promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, making him the second officer of Pakistan to receive this post after General Ayub Khan. The 27th amendment has been made in the Constitution of Pakistan, which has created a new and very powerful post of Chief of Defense Forces (CDF). The post makes him the chief of staff of all three services (Army, Air Force and Navy) and carries a fixed tenure of 5 years, which means he can hold the post till 2030. But the biggest controversy is regarding the release of official notification for the post of CDF. On 27 November, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza retired, following which the CDF was to take over. Despite the passage of the deadline of November 29, the notification for the appointment of Asim Munir to the post of CDF has not been issued yet.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is reportedly reluctant to make Munir the CDF because it would give Munir unlimited powers (including control over the country’s nuclear command), sources said. Shahbaz Sharif meanwhile is on a foreign tour (London). Nawaz Sharif, sitting in London, may also have an influence on this decision, and is probably in favor of not issuing the notification, while Shehbaz Sharif is under pressure to issue it. This delay has led to an unusual military leadership situation in Pakistan. Some experts believe that there is uncertainty regarding the constitutional status of Asim Munir due to non-issue of CDF notification. This amendment gives unprecedented powers to Munir, making him more powerful than the Prime Minister. It grants them lifelong immunity from legal action.
He has been made the boss of the three armies and controller of the nuclear command. It has also limited the jurisdiction of the judiciary, leading to restructuring of the judiciary. United Nations (Human Rights) High Commissioner Volker Turk has also described this amendment as weakening the independence of the judiciary and increasing the influence of the military.
Asim Munir’s original tenure as Army Chief has ended, but due to an amendment in the law, he continues in office. He has got the rank of Field Marshal and is to become the CDF, which will give him unlimited power, but there is uncertainty as the notification of the CDF post has been withheld by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which clearly shows the tension between the military and the civilian government in Pakistan.