Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has been appointed Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), a newly created role that further expands his authority at the top of the country’s military structure. President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment on Thursday, endorsing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recommendation to have Munir serve simultaneously as Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) and CDF for a five-year term.
In a statement posted on X, the President’s office confirmed the dual appointment, noting that the decision grants Munir wide-ranging command under the new framework established by last month’s 27th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment created the powerful CDF post to centralize military leadership across Pakistan’s armed forces.
Munir, who was elevated to the rank of Field Marshal earlier this year, becomes only the second military officer in Pakistan’s history to hold the title — the first being Gen. Ayub Khan. His consolidated command comes after considerable public speculation about whether the Sharif government would extend his tenure and grant him the new position. The notification was expected on November 29, the day his original three-year term as army chief expired.
In addition to Munir’s appointment, President Zardari also approved a two-year extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, effective March 19, 2026.
The delay in formalizing Munir’s CDF appointment had raised concerns among analysts. Former Indian National Security Advisory Board member Tilak Devasher suggested Sharif was intentionally avoiding the politically sensitive decision, noting that the prime minister had left Pakistan for Bahrain and then London as the deadline approached. Devasher said the stall had created a temporary constitutional vacuum, with uncertainty over who legally headed the army and how nuclear command authority would function under the new military structure.
Munir’s confirmation now fills that gap and cements his position as Pakistan’s most powerful military leader, holding simultaneous authority over the army and the newly formed defence command — a role designed to reshape civil-military balance and strategic oversight in the years ahead.