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A tribute ceremony was organized at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Monday to officially recognize Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

Delegations from the Pakistani Army, Pakistani Navy, and Pakistani Air Force took part in the ceremony, offering the CDF a guard of honor. The gathering was graced by Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, along with high-ranking officials from all three branches of the military.

The Ministry of Defence released the official announcement regarding Field Marshal Munir’s appointment as the nation’s inaugural Chief of Defence Forces on Friday, a day following President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of the decision upon the recommendation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The CDF, who was promoted to the rank of field marshal earlier this year, will also hold the position of army chief for a period of five years.

Field Marshal Munir was the second individual to attain the rank of field marshal in Pakistan’s history — and the first in over six decades — after the nation’s triumph over India in the May conflict.

The establishment of the new CDF position came after the president approved the Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy (Amendment) Bills 2025 on November 15, which had been approved by the parliament. According to the amendments, the authorities specified in Article 243 for a field marshal now also apply to any general who attains that rank.

Commissioned into the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment in 1986, Field Marshal Munir completed the 17th Officers Training Course at Mangla. Throughout his career, he has occupied various important command and staff roles, such as serving as a directing staff member at the Command and Staff College, Quetta; brigade major of an infantry brigade stationed in Kel; general staff officer (grade-II) at the CGS Secretariat; and chief of staff for the Mangla Corps. Additionally, he served as the Quartermaster General at GHQ.

He led the 23rd FF Regiment, an infantry brigade, and worked as Force Commander in the Northern Areas, Gilgit. His roles in intelligence involved being Director General of Military Intelligence (MI) and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Following his tenure at ISI, he became Corps Commander in Gujranwala before returning to GHQ as Quartermaster General — his last position prior to taking over command of the army.

Field Marshal Munir’s educational background consists of completing his studies at Fuji School in Japan, Command and Staff College in Quetta, Malaysian Armed Forces College in Kuala Lumpur, and the National Defence University (NDU) located in Islamabad. Additionally, he has an MPhil in Public Policy and Strategic Security Management from NDU.

He is the first military commander in Pakistan’s history to be awarded the Sword of Honour.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).