Field Marshal Asim Munir began his new appointment as the new Chief of Defence Forces
In a decisive reordering of the Pakistani military’s structure, the National Assembly advanced legislation that will recast the length of tenure for leadership positions and redefine command roles. Central to the reforms is Field Marshal Asim Munir-whose tenure as Chief of the Army Staff began with his appointment as the new Chief of Defence Forces.
From Army Chief to Defence Forces Commander
The revision came through the passing of amendments to the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill, 2025. These bills are in line with the recently enacted 27th Constitutional Amendment, which rewrote Article 243 of the Constitution so that the COAS will concurrently be the CDF.
As Defence Minister Khawaja Asif introduced the changes, the law clarified that upon notification of the CDF appointment, the incumbent COAS’s tenure is deemed to have “recommenced” from that date.
Five-Year Term and A Fresh Start
Under the amendment, the term of the new position—CDF—shall be for five years from the date of appointment by the federal government on advice of the prime minister.
This means that for Asim Munir, already serving as COAS, the moment he is formally appointed as CDF, his current term will reset. In other words, his leadership clock restarts.
Practically, this means the country’s most senior military officer is entering into a new five-year chapter, counting from the CDF appointment and not merely the continuance of the existing COAS span.
What the Shift Means in Broader Context
These changes come amidst a far-reaching constitutional transition that reorganises military command and also redefines judicial authority. The 27th Amendment creates the post of CDF, removes the long-standing Chairperson of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee known as CJCSC, and also provides for the institutional protection of senior officers.
For Pakistan’s power structure, this represents a significant centralisation of military command in one single constitutional office-something which analysts aver could have long legacy implications.
Behind the Uniform
For Asim Munir, this development is both professionally validating and personally weighty. Having become COAS in November 2022 and being elevated to Field Marshal earlier in 2025, he now stands to assume a newly empowered role with refreshed tenure.
On a human level, the start-again of his tenure may reflect trust placed in his leadership, but it also places him at the centre of heightened expectations: continuity, unified command, and strategic coherence across Pakistan’s armed forces.
- His actual date of appointment as CDF will start the clock on his five-year tenure – the legal trigger cited in the amendment.
- Abolition of the post of CJCSC and realignment of tri-service coordination may generate organisational changes within the military services.
- Civil-military relations and institutional checks may take new contours in this changed constitutional framework.
- Given the new term and role, the way Asim Munir navigates strategic, internal and external pressures will be closely watched from both domestic and foreign quarters.
All journeys begin somewhere
Taken together, the resetting of Field Marshal Asim Munir’s tenure as he moves into the newly created CDF slot is more than a technical detail-a recalibration of command, tenure and institutional structure. The story now enters a new phase for Pakistan’s leadership and the country’s defence architecture-one that combines continuity with transformation, authority with renewed mandate.
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