Defence Forces | Pakistan

The Ministry of Defence on Friday issued the formal notification appointing Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), following approval from President Asif Ali Zardari.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday said that the notification regarding the Chief of Defence Forces’ (CDF) appointment would be issued “in due course of time”, the process for which had started. “Please be informed that the process has been initiated. PM is returning shortly. Notification will be issued in due course of time,” Asif said in a post on social media platform X. The CDF position, created under the 27th Constitutional Ame­nd­ment, replaced the now-abolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which formally ended on Nov 27. It will be a dual-hatted position combined with the office of the army chief. Officials and observers had expected the new notification to coincide with the abolition of the CJCSC post, but November 29 was seen as a critical marker, being the date on which the original three-year tenure of the incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Asim Munir, was set to expire. Asif’s statement came as the November 29 date passed without any notific...