The federal cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif took a big decision. Political rhetoric was on the rise for a long time over the appointment of the Army Chief. Now, the decision to appoint Lieutenant General Asim Munir as the new Army Chief has come out.
Former DGISI and expected Army Chief General Asim Munir, who was posted as Corps Commander Gujranwala before the decision to be made Army Chief, has extensive experience in military service in administrative matters.
Two important appointments
In today’s federal cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, using his constitutional authority, appointed General Asim Munir as the new Chief of Army Staff. Meanwhile, another big decision was also made.
PM Shehbaz Sharif took a principled decision to appoint Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, which was confirmed by Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb in her Twitter message today.
In a Twitter message, Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has decided to appoint Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir as the Army Chief under the constitutional authority.
Khawaja Asif’s message
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in his Twitter message that the advice for the appointment of the Army Chief has been sent to President Dr. Arif Alvi. Now the test of Chairman PTI Imran Khan is whether he wants to strengthen the institution of national defense or controversial.
Khawaja Asif said that now President Dr. Arif Alvi is also tested on whether he follows political advice or constitutional and legal advice. As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President has the duty to protect the institution from political conflicts.
Introduction of the new COAS
Former Corps Commander Lt Gen Asim Munir is a Hafiz-i-Quran and a hard-working Army General who is considered to be a close officer of General Qamar Javed Bajwa. His service was to end on November 27, in case he was not appointed as the Army Chief.
General Asim Munir joined the service through the 17th course of the Officers Training School program at Mangala and also got a commission in the Frontier Force Regiment.
Proximity to former army chief
General Asim Munir is considered to be a close officer of the outgoing Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa since he came to command the troops in Force Command Northern Areas as a Brigadier under General Bajwa.
Later, General Asim Munir got an opportunity to serve as DG of Military Intelligence in early 2017 and was appointed DG ISI in October 2018.
Introduction of Lt. Sahir Shamshad Mirza
According to the decision of the Federal Cabinet today, Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza will be appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, for which a summary has been sent to the President.
General Sahir Shamshad Mirza is considered to be the most senior among the four army chief candidates belonging to 76 Long Course. The regiment of General Sahir Shamshad Mirza belonging to the Sindh Regiment is considered the parent unit of the outgoing Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza.
General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who has an impressive military career in the Pakistan Army, was in the media eye as DG of Military Operations. During the last 7 years, he also performed excellent services for the nation in important military positions.
At the Army Headquarters (GHQ), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza was part of former Army Chief General Raheel Sharif’s core team that was overseeing the operation against the outlawed TTP in North Waziristan.
Earlier in 2019, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza was appointed Chief General Staff and then participated in important decision-making related to foreign affairs and national security. In September 2021, he was posted as Corps Commander Rawalpindi.
