Govt notifies Field Marshal Asim Munir as Pakistan's first chief of defence forces

After days of speculations, the Ministry of Defence on Friday finally issued an official notification confirming Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir's appointment as Pakistan’s first chief of defence forces (CDF).

The notification came a day after President Asif Ali Zardari endorsed the decision on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice.

According to the notification, the ministry stated that under Article 243 of the Constitution and relevant provisions of the Pakistan Army Act, the president, acting on the prime minister’s recommendation, has appointed Field Marshal Munir as “chief of army staff, concurrently the chief of defence forces” for a five-year term.

Notification! pic.twitter.com/68mtug0v8f

— Ansar Abbasi (@AnsarAAbbasi) December 5, 2025

A separate notification confirmed the president’s approval of the prime minister’s advice regarding the Pakistan Air Force's leadership.

It said that under Article 243 and Section 10B of the Pakistan Air Force Act, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar’s term as chief of the air staff has been extended for two more years, starting on March 19, 2026.

The extension will begin after he completes his current five-year tenure next March, meaning he will remain in office until March 2028.

Field Marshal Munir’s elevation to the newly created CDF role marks the most significant restructuring of Pakistan’s military command system since the 1970s. The position centralises operational, administrative and strategic responsibilities under one office, enabled through changes to Article 243 introduced via the 27th Constitutional Amendment.