In a major development, the PML-N government has selected Lieutenant General Asim Munir as Pakistan’s next army chief, hence replacing General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
According to the details, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, using his Constitutional right, has also appointed Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). The summary has also been sent to President Dr. Arif Alvi.
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“The Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has decided to appoint Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir as the Chief of the Army Staff using the constitutional authority. A summary of this has been sent to the President of Pakistan,” Marriyum Aurangzeb said.
وزیراعظم پاکستان محمد شہباز شریف نے آئینی اختیار استعمال کرتے ہوئے لیفٹنٹ جنرل ساحر شمشاد مرزا کو چئیرمین جوائنٹ چیفس آف سٹاف اور لیفٹنٹ جنرل سید عاصم منیر کو چیف آف دی آرمی سٹاف مقرر کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا ہے۔ اس بابت سمری صدر پاکستان کو ارسال کر دی گئی ہے۔
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) November 24, 2022
The decision was announced after PM Shehbaz held a federal cabinet meeting to mull over the appointments after the allied parties authorized him to pick the officers for the top slots.
Lt Gen Asim Munir is the senior officer and is currently serving as Quartermaster General in the Pakistan Army. He was appointed DG of the Military Intelligence in early 2017 and then ISI Director General in October 2018. Lt-Gen Munir is the recipient of the Sword of Honour from the 17th course of the Officers Training School in Mangla. Also, he is the recipient of the Hilal-i-Imtiaz.
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On the other hand, Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza is a three-star general in the Pakistan Army who is currently serving as a commander for Rawalpindi Corps. He has served as the director-general of military operations (DGMO), Chief of General Staff, and Adjutant General at the General Headquarters. He has also received Hilala-e-Imtiaz (Military). Mirza was commissioned in the 8th Battalion of the Sind Regiment as the second lieutenant in 1985. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 2019.