Islamabad, Pakistan, 5 December (H.S.): President Asif Ali Zardari formally approved Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir's elevation as Pakistan's first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) on Thursday, concurrently extending his Chief of Army Staff (COAS) tenure for five years under the freshly enacted 27th Constitutional Amendment designed to unify military command structures.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's long-awaited recommendation, endorsed via an official presidential post on X, also greenlit a two-year service extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu starting March 19, 2026, with Zardari extending congratulations to both senior officers amid national security imperatives.

The announcement resolves weeks of turmoil following Munir's original three-year COAS term's lapse on November 29, exacerbated by Sharif's overseas sojourns to Bahrain and London that analysts like India's Tilak Devasher branded as deliberate evasion, precipitating a perilous constitutional void in army leadership and nuclear oversight.

Only the second Field Marshal in Pakistan's history after General Ayub Khan's 1965 wartime stewardship, Munir's dual role amplifies the military's sway over civilian governance in a polity perpetually navigating armed forces dominance.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar