Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, met with his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML-N and three-term prime minister, in London and spoke with him about matters pertaining to the choice of the new Pakistan Army chief, according to reports on Friday evening.
According to rumours making the rounds in Pakistani media, the Nawaz-Shehbaz meeting resolved that the Chief of Army Staff will be appointed based on merit and would be the senior-most general (COAS).
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the current COAS, will step down later this month. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reports that General Bajwa has begun making farewell visits to the Pakistan Army’s various formations.
Lieutenant General Asim Munir is the senior-most of the six lieutenant generals set to feature in a summary set to be sent to the prime minister for the military top post, is currently serving as Quarter Master General at the GHQ. He was originally slated to retire in September, 2022. He will, however, now retire in November, 2022 on account of being on leave for some time following his promotion as lieutenant general.
Amir served as military secretary to then President Asif Ali Zardari. He is currently serving as Gujranwala corps commander. He too has a decent chance at being named army chief, according to Toor.
Journalist Umer Cheema and Azaz Syed also claimed that Asim Munir and Azhar Abbas have been picked by the govt to be promoted to the 4-star rank. One of these will be army chief and the other Chairman Joint Chiefs Of Staff Committee, reveal Azaz Syed and Umar Cheema.
Who is Lieutenant General Asim Munir?
Lt-Gen Asim Munir will be the person with the most experience when it comes time to choose the new CJCSC and COAS. Even though he received a two-star general promotion in September 2018, he didn’t take over until two months later. Thus, on November 27, when the current CJCSC and COAS will be taking off their army uniforms, his four-year term as Lt-Gen would come to an end. Gen. Bajwa will decide if his name should be included, and the prime minister will make the ultimate choice, since the suggestions and decisions for the appointment of the two four-star generals will be made a little sooner. He is an excellent officer, but given the specifics, he might continue to be the classic dark horse. Lt. Gen. Munir enlisted in the military and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment after attending the Officers Training School (OTS) programme in Mangla. Since his time as a brigade commander in the Force Command Northern Areas under Gen Bajwa, who was then Commander X Corps, he has been a close assistant to the current COAS. He was subsequently named DG Military Intelligence in early 2017 and made the ISI chief in October of that same year. His tenure as the top intelligence officer, however, ended up being the shortest in history since, at the behest of the then-prime minister Imran Khan, he was replaced by Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid after only eight months. He was appointed as the commander of the Gujranwala Corps and served in that capacity for two years before being transferred to the GHQ as the Quartermaster General.
Who is Lieutenant General Asim Munir? Most Favourite For Chief of Army Staff
