ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has elevated Army Chief General Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said on Tuesday, making him only the second general in the country’s history to rise to that rank.
The development comes a little over a week after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day standoff with India that saw the arch-rivals trade fighter jet, missile, drone and artillery strikes, with dozens killed on both sides before a ceasefire was reached on May 10.
“The Government of Pakistan approved the promotion of General Syed Asim Munir (Nishan-e-Imtiaz Military) to the rank of Field Marshal for ensuring the security of the country and defeating the enemy on the basis of the superior strategy and courageous leadership in Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos on behalf of Pakistan,” PM Sharif’s office said in a statement released after a meeting of the federal cabinet.
In a statement issued by the military, Munir said he was dedicating his promotion to the people and armed forces of Pakistan.
“This honor is the trust of the nation, for which millions of Asims can be sacrificed,” he was quoted as saying.
Munir’s promotion to field marshal’s rank is the first since Pakistani dictator General Ayub Khan made himself a field marshal in 1965.
Field marshal is a ceremonial five-star rank that usually signifies extraordinary leadership and wartime achievement. Security sources said it was likely Munir would also remain the army chief.
Munir started his job as army chief in November 2022. A parliamentary legal amendment extended his term to five years in November 2023, from the usual three years for the role of army chief.
The office of the army chief is arguably the most powerful position in Pakistan, where the military has ruled directly for nearly half of the country’s history. Even when not in power, the military and the army chief play an outsized role in political and foreign affairs and national security decision making. In recent years, the army chief’s public role in economic decision making and in seeking foreign investments has also grown considerably.
“Definitely, his [Gen. Munir’s] stature will be now higher in all forces and his influence in civil matters like government affairs will also significantly increase,” Lt. Gen. (retired) Naeem Lodhi, a former defense secretary, told Arab News.
