Islamabad: After weeks of confusion over the appointment of the next army chief, the dust finally settled down on Thursday, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chose Lt. General Asim Munir to succeed incumbent COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The summary has been sent to President Arif Alvi for ratification.
The summary forwarded by the GHQ to the federal government for the appointment of the next COAS had six names. Of the six potential candidates, Lt. General Asim was the senior-most officer.
Lt Gen Asim Munir will be new Army Chief
Lt. Gen Asim Munir joined the Pakistan Army from the Mangala Officers Training School program. He then became a commissioned officer in the Frontier Force Regiment.
He also commanded the Northern Areas Force as a brigadier. In 2017, was appointed the Director-General of Military Intelligence. In 2018, he was chosen as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Lt Gen Asim Munir joined the Pakistan Army from the Mangala Officers Training School programme and then became a commissioned officer in the Frontier Force Regiment.
Here are some more things that you need to know about new COAS!#COAS pic.twitter.com/6cY6VpLeXg
— Pakistan Observer (@pakobserver) November 24, 2022
Lt. General Asim Munir remained a close aide of General Bajwa ever since he commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under the outgoing army chief, who was then Commander X Corps.
In September 2018, he was elevated to the rank of a three-star general, but he took charge two months later. Because of that, his four-year tenure as Lt. Gen ends on November 27. However, the federal government has also decided to retain him in his position.
It is pertinent to mention that Lt. Gen Munir will also be the first army chief who has been awarded the Sword of Honour.
