Ending weeks of speculation on Thursday, Pakistani President Arif Alvi signed the summary sent from Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to formally appoint General Asim Munir as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
Munir’s appointment ends former COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s six-year term, which will officially come to a close on 29 November. Bajwa’s three-year term was set to end in 2019 but was extended by then-PM Imran Khan for another three years.
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) designate, Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir, called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at PM House, Islamabad.
— President PMLN (@president_pmln) November 24, 2022
The Prime Minister congratulated Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir and expressed his best wishes for his new responsibilities. pic.twitter.com/GOOyYMDUNC
Earlier this week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif revealed that he had sent Sharif a summary of the recommendations for Bajwa’s replacement. The army provided the names of six senior army officials to the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday. Munir was the senior-most army official on the list of recommendations and Mirza was second.
Former PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan underscored that while he did not have an issue with any of the recommendations, he wanted the decision to be taken “on merit.”
Before signing the summary, Alvi first met with Khan in Lahore to discuss the constitutional, political, and legal issues pertaining to the appointments. Speculations were rife that the president would not sign the summary, especially considering he is one of the founders of PTI. In this regard, Asif stressed that Alvi was being “tested” on “whether he will follow political advice or constitutional and legal advice.”
He must grapple with restoring trust to an institution that’s taken major hits to its popularity & work toward lowering tensions between the government and Imran Khan-who likely didn’t want him as chief.
— Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) November 24, 2022
Munir will have an easier go of it if Khan buries the hatchet. But will he?
“As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, it is his duty to protect the country from political conflicts,” the defence minister emphasised. He also questioned whether Khan wants to “strengthen the institution of homeland defense” or make “controversial” statements.
Ultimately, however, President Alvi approved the appointments with no opposition from PTI and promoted both Munir and Mirza from lieutenant general to four-star general with immediate effect. The two Generals also met with Alvi separately after their appointment.
They also visited Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House, where the PM lauded Gen. Munir’s “professional excellence and patriotism.” He expressed hope that the armed forces would benefit from his “professional expertise.” He assured citizens that the two officers would effectively deal with the current challenges related to national security and would be actively involved in completely eradicating the menace of terrorism from the country.
If Gen Asim Munir's priority is to rapidly bridge public-Army distance, he must act fast.Prove beyond doubt military's resolve to stay solidly apolitical.Seasonal cherry picking of favourite politicians must stop. Re-orient Army's profile in business and commercial ventures pic.twitter.com/skK0ceamp7
— Kamran Khan (@AajKamranKhan) November 25, 2022
The Pakistani PM stressed that the appointments were made on merit on the basis of seniority, despite mounting pressure. He stated that anarchy and chaos had no space in the country.
Similarly, Defence Minister Asif noted that the process of appointing the army chief had “caused unrest” but the matter was now “settled.”
“It will also help our country and the economy to get back on the right track, as right now everything is at a standstill,” he said.
Moreover, in a sharp rebuke to Khan, Asif underlined, “I believe that all the people, especially politicians, should bring their behaviours under the ambit of the law and Constitution.”
Known for his a-political and anti corruption approach, even Being a DG ISI Generel Asim Munir was courageous regardless of consequences — During his tenure as COAS professionalism will be the Trade mark-set back for all those who want to drag army for their political ambitions
— Kamran Shahid (@FrontlineKamran) November 24, 2022
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry reiterated that the only way to bring political stability is to conduct snap elections.
“The measures taken in these last eight months have damaged the country as attempts to sideline Khan wreaked havoc in the country,” he stated, while congratulating the new officers.
Former PM Khan has arranged a protest rally in Rawalpindi, where the army’s headquarters are located, on Saturday as part of his campaign for early elections. He plans to march from Rawalpindi to Islamabad.
Lt Gen Asim Munir is the person, as pr Politician Maryam Nawaz, who had gone upto former PM Imran Khan when Gen Munir was DG ISI to inform about the alleged corruption of Khan's wife' close friend but was disliked by Khan at that point leading to his removal from that office.
— Anas Mallick (@AnasMallick) November 24, 2022
Munir is the second army chief to have also been the Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), serving in the role from October 2018 to June 2019; General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani was the first one. He has also served as the DG of Military Intelligence in 2017, and is said to be a “straight talker.” He is also the first army chief to be awarded the Sword of Honour.
Not much is known about Munir’s views on foreign policy, but he was said to be a close aide of Bajwa, who wanted the military to stay out of domestic politics and focused on improving ties with the United States (US) and India. In fact, he said during his final speech on Wednesday that the military institution decided last February to bring an end to 70 years of the army’s “unconstitutional” and “constant meddling” in politics after politicians targeted the establishment using “false and made-up narratives.”
Asim Munir is part of the leadership group in Pindi that has helped plunge Pakistan into the existing polycrisis.
— Mosharraf Zaidi (@mosharrafzaidi) November 24, 2022
The new COAS will need to demonstrate his commitment to the end of military intervention & the end of military manipulation of Pakistan’s politics and discourse.
🤲🏽
He added that his decision was subject to criticism by “some unscrupulous elements”, hinting at former PM Khan, who has accused the army of being complicit in his ouster earlier this year. Bajwa also rubbished Khan’s claim that the confidence vote against Khan was the result of a “foreign conspiracy.” Bajwa emphasised that the military would have acted against such an attempt, as “that would have been a major sin.”
Referring to the trust vote, he opined that Khan attempted to refuse to concede defeat by referring to the Sharif government as “selected” or “imported” by the army. He urged political leaders to “reject this behaviour” and accept election results as a part of politics.
Shuja Nawaz in his book Battle for Pakistan about new COAS Asim Munir. "A headliner whose strictness has a cult status in military." He was reportedly behind the sacking of IHC jusge Shaukat Siddiqui for anti-ISI speech. Page via @surrakimuhammad pic.twitter.com/VGDiICALyW
— Riaz ul Haq (@Riazhaq) November 25, 2022
The Pakistani army holds significant influence over domestic politics in Pakistan. In fact, the country has been ruled by a military government for half of its 75 years of independence. More concerningly, no PM has successfully completed their term as the head of the government.
In this regard, Talat Masood, an ex-lieutenant general in the army, highlighted, “Our democracy is weak. The military has always tried to exploit that.”