ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Defence has officially notified the appointment of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as Pakistan’s first-ever Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).
Field Marshal Munir will serve concurrently as Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces for a five-year term.
In a related development, the Ministry of Defence has also officially notified the two-year extension in the tenure of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu as Chief of Air Staff, which will commence after the completion of his current five-year term in March 2026.
President Zardari had approved a two-year extension in the service of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, Chief of Air Staff, to take effect from the completion of his present tenure on 19 March 2026.
The Chief of Defence Forces position was created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The CDF will replace the now-abolished office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) chairman, which formally ended on November 27.
The legislation further clarified that once the first notification for the dual office is issued, the incumbent COAS’s tenure will be deemed to have recommenced from the date of that notification.
Brief profile of Field Marshal Munir
Field Marshal Munir, Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces, was commissioned in the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment in 1986. He passed out with the 17th Officers Training Course at Mangla and was awarded the coveted Sword of Honour.
He has held several key military positions, including directing staff at Command and Staff College, Quetta; brigade major of a deployed infantry brigade in Kel; general staff officer, grade-2 at the CGS secretariat; and chief of staff of Mangla Corps. He also served as Quartermaster General at the General Headquarters.
Field Marshal Munir has commanded the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment and an infantry brigade, and has served as force commander in the Northern Areas, Gilgit.
He has held top intelligence positions, including Director General of Military Intelligence (MI) and head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). After heading ISI, he was posted as Corps Commander Gujranwala and then as Quartermaster General — his last assignment before becoming the country’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
He graduated from Fuji School, Japan; Command and Staff College, Quetta; Malaysian Armed Forces College, Kuala Lumpur; and National Defence University, Islamabad. He also holds an MPhil in Public Policy and Strategic Security Management from the National Defence University.
He is a keen sportsman, avid reader, traveller, and a Hafiz-e-Quran.
