Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decides to appoint Lieutenant General Asim Munir as Pakistan’s Chief Of Army Staff

The decision to select Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir as Chief of Army Staff and Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as CJCSC was made by the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

Using the constitutional authority that he possesses, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, has made the decision to appoint Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir as the Chief of Army Staff.

According to the defense ministry, Munir, who was also Pakistan’s senior spy, will take the place of retiring General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who will retire at the end of this month after serving in his position for six years.

After announcing Munir’s promotion to the position of head, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated for the press that the decision was “based on merit, legislation, and as per the constitution.”

The date of Asim Munir’s retirement had been set for November 27, and he was the most senior of the six commanders who were in the running to follow General Bajwa. But after being appointed army chief, Munir will continue to serve in uniform for at least the next three years.

In October of 2018, Lt. Gen. Munir was given the responsibility of leading Pakistan’s spy organization, known as Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). However, just eight months later, he was ousted from the office by the Prime Minister of the time, Imran Khan. Khan replaced Munir with xxx, who is viewed in certain parts of the Pakistani establishment as his confidante.

He was awarded the title of “Hafiz-e-Quran” because he was able to memorize the entire Quran while serving as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia.

Munir’s appointment has the potential to have an effect on Pakistan’s precarious democracy, the country’s relations with neighboring India and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan’s pivot towards either China or the United States. Historically, the army has played an outsized role in both domestic and international politics.