Tag: asim munir

  • Gen (r) Bajwa watches Pak vs England Test in Pindi

    Gen (r) Bajwa watches Pak vs England Test in Pindi

    The former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa, watched the fourth day of the first Test series between Pakistan and England on Sunday in Rawalpindi.

    The recently retired COAS handed over the military’s command to General Asim Munir earlier this week, marking the end of his six-year extended tenure.

    Having taken a 78-run lead in the runfest, England declared their second innings on 264-7 to set Pakistan an improbable victory target of 343 with four sessions to go.

    Harry Brook (87), Joe Root (73), and Zak Crawley (50) scored half-centuries for the visitors. While, the Shaheens: Naseem Shah, Mohammad Ali, and Zahir Mahmood claimed two wickets each for Pakistan.

    A day earlier, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became the seventh batsman to smash a century.

    Last week, the Ben Stokes-led England cricket team finally embarked on their historic Test tour of Pakistan for the first time since 2005.

    Twitterati shared pictures of the ex-army chief at the Pindi cricket stadium.

    https://twitter.com/ShahSheraz3/status/1599392299212935168?s=20&t=yS86XL7K0W9eLwsJf33ECg

  • Khan congratulates COAS Gen Munir, CJCSC Gen Mirza on promotions

    Khan congratulates COAS Gen Munir, CJCSC Gen Mirza on promotions

    Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on Wednesday congratulated the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and Chairman Joint Chief of Army Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on assuming charge of their office.

    Khan took to Twitter today, six days after the government announced appointments to congratulate the two military officials.

    “We hope the new military leadership will work to end the prevailing trust deficit that has built up in the last eight months, between the nation and the state. Strength of the state is derived from its people,” the former premier wrote.

    He also shared a quote of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah regarding the role and “duty” of armed forces.

    “Do not forget that the armed forces are the servants of the people and you do not make national policy; it is we, the civilians, who decide these issues and it is your duty to carry out these tasks with which you are entrusted,” the quote written in an image tweeted by Khan read.

    Khan congratulated both army generals one day after the change of command ceremony was held in Rawalpindi. On November 24, the Prime Minister selected both officers for the highest military posts, ending weeks of speculation and uncertainty.

  • Four obstacles that could have blocked Gen Munir’s appointment as COAS

    Four obstacles that could have blocked Gen Munir’s appointment as COAS

    Pakistan’s new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir was given command of the armed forces on November 29 in a ceremony in Rawalpindi.

    In the weeks leading up to the announcement of the new COAS’ name, speculation had been rife as to who among the top 6 senior most Lieutenant Generals would get the coveted spot.

    Kamran Shahid, senior journalist and anchor, while speaking about Asim Munir’s selection on his talk show, “On the front with Kamran Shahid”, revealed that many hindrances dotted the path that eventually led to his selection.

    Imran Khan proposed extension for Bajwa:

    Shahid said on his show that to stop General Asim Munir from becoming the new army chief, “a proposal to extend the then army chief General Bajwa’s tenure was given.” The journalist further revealed that this proposed extension was suggested by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

    Martial law was an option:

    “I am telling this to you with a lot of responsibility that there were chances of a martial law being imposed in the country,” revealed Shahid. He further said that this idea was rejected in the Corp Commander’s meeting.

    Now-retired General thought of going to court to challenge his appointment

    The third obstacle to stop General Asim Munir from becoming the COAS was that a “now retired General” thought of going to court over the matter. The problem with this idea was that the Supreme Court can only listen to an aggrieved party. So keeping in view the law and order situation in the army, the now retired General thought of not pursuing the matter further.

    Govt was told to appoint Sahir Shamshad

    The federal government was told to appoint Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the now Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), as the new army chief. However, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was not in favour of the suggestion, hence General Asim Munir became the new army chief, Kamran Shahid said.

  • Pakistan’s new COAS: Gen Bajwa hands over command to Gen Munir

    Pakistan’s new COAS: Gen Bajwa hands over command to Gen Munir

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa handed over the military’s command to General Asim Munir today at a General Headquarters (GHQ) ceremony in Rawalpindi, marking the end of his six-year extended tenure.

    The change of command ceremony marks the time-honoured tradition that symbolises the seamless transition of military leadership. As the ceremony began with a GHQ military band performing national songs and a medley of folk tunes, former heads of the military could also be spotted among the guests.

    Senior serving and retired officers, diplomats as well as government functionaries were in attendance.

    Prior to the ceremony, both Gen Bajwa and Gen Munir laid a wreath at the Yadgar-i-Shuhada (Monument to Martyrs) in GHQ and offered fateha.

    ‘Mein gumnaami mein chala jaon gaa, lekin fauj kay saath rohaani raabta hamesha kayam rahay ga’: Gen Bajwa

    Gen Bajwa congratulated Gen Munir on being appointed his successor and hoped his promotion would help the country and the army progress. He went on to say that his association with Gen Munir goes back 24 years.

    “In addition to being a Hafiz-i-Quran, he is a professional, capable and principled officer. I am certain that under his leadership the army will reach new heights of success,” the outgoing Chief said while paying tribute to his successor.

    Gen Bajwa hoped the appointment of Gen Munir as the military chief would prove to be positive for both the country and the army. He said he was handing over the army to an “expert and capable son”.

    Reflecting on his military journey, Gen Bajwa said the journey which began several decades ago was now coming to an end.

    “I am thankful to God that he gave me the opportunity to work for this great army and gave me the opportunity to lead it,” he said, reiterating that it was a “great honour” for him.

    “Soon, I will walk into obscurity, but my spiritual relationship with the army will be forever,” he said in a rare moment of poignancy, ending his speech with prayers for the success of the new army chief and the Pakistan army.

    The ceremony was also attended by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu.

    Gen Munir was chosen to lead the country’s army by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on November 24. The summary of his appointment was ratified by President Arif Alvi the same day.

  • What is new army chief Asim Munir like? This is what Twitter has to say

    What is new army chief Asim Munir like? This is what Twitter has to say

    Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Asim Munir has been officially appointed as the new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of Pakistan after President Dr Arif Alvi signed the summary on Thursday evening.

    Following the development, the new army chief separately met Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and President Alvi.

    Lt- Gen Munir entered the service via the Officers Training School (OTS) programme in Mangla, and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment. He has been a close aide of the incumbent COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa ever since he commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under him.

    He was later appointed Director General Military Intelligence in early 2017, and in October next year was made the ISI chief. However, he was replaced soon by Lt- Gen Faiz Hameed within eight months, reportedly on the insistence of the then Prime Minister, Imran Khan. He was posted as Gujranwala Corps commander for two years, before being moved to the GHQ as Quartermaster General.

    Well, this is the information that we know so far but Twitterati has some interesting details as well.

  • Who will be the new COAS and CJCSC?

    Who will be the new COAS and CJCSC?

    Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Asim Munir has been promoted to now become the new chief of the Pakistan Army by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif. A summary in this regard has been sent to the President. This has been confirmed by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in a tweet.

    Who is Asim Munir?

    PM Shehbaz Sharif has picked Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Asim Munir to succeed outgoing army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Lt-Gen Munir is the senior-most among the names given in the summary. He was promoted to the rank of a three-star general in September 2018.

    Lt- Gen Munir entered the service via the Officers Training School (OTS) programme in Mangla, and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment. He has been a close aide of the incumbent COAS ever since he commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under Gen Bajwa.

    He was later appointed Director General Military Intelligence in early 2017, and in October next year was made the ISI chief. However, he was replaced soon by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed within eight months, reportedly on the insistence of the then PM, Imran Khan. He was posted as Gujranwala Corps commander for two years, before being moved to the GHQ as Quartermaster General.

    Who is Sahir Shamshad Mirza?

    The following is a bio of the new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, the second important role in the armed forces. While General Mirza’s bio is impressive, what was striking is that he was raised an orphan and has managed to reach the top. When he joined the army, he wrote ‘8 Sindh’ in the ‘Next of Kin’ option. It was the name of his Unit.

    The premier has picked Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Sahir Shamshad Mirza to be the next Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). Lt-Gen Mirza came to fame as the director general military operations during Gen Raheel Sharif’s tenure. In that role, he was part of Sharif’s core team at the General Headquarters, which supervised the military operation against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other militants in North Waziristan. Moreover, Lt-Gen Mirza was closely involved in the intra-Afghan talks involving Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and the United States.

    He was also a member of the committee on reforms for Gilgit-Baltistan. He was appointed chief of general staff, effectively making him the second-most powerful person in the army after the chief of army staff. In that role, he was closely engaged in crucial decision-making related to national security and foreign affairs. He also joined former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in strategic talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2021.

    In October 2021, he was posted as corps commander Rawalpindi to enable him to acquire operational experience and become eligible to be considered for top posts. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee is an inter-services forum that works for coordination among the three armed forces. The CJCSC also serves as the principal military adviser to the prime minister and the National Command Authority.

    General Asim Munir has been ‘retained’ under the Army Act?

    The Federal Government has retained Lieutenant General Asim Munir under the Army Act. Earlier, government decided to appoint Lt Gen Munir as new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

    Gen Munir was scheduled to retire on November 27. He had submitted his retirement application to the defence ministry. However, the defence ministry did not accept the request for retirement and decided to retain Gen Munir.

    Meeting between Dr Alvi and Khan

    President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, has reached Zaman Park in Lahore to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to consult him over the two key military appointments that were announced today.

    In an interview earlier this week, when asked about the appointment, Imran Khan said that he was maintaining contact with the President on this matter.

    President House will give an official handout around 7pm on army chief appointment

    PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry has said that the President House will give an official handout between 6:30 and 7pm about Dr Arif Alvi’s meeting with his party Chairman Imran Khan.

    A few hours ago, Alvi reached Lahore to meet Khan and to consult him over the two key military appointments.

    Earlier, the federal government announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Lieutenant General Asim Munir as Pakistan’s next Chief of Army Staff and Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), with an official summary of both appointments sent to President Alvi for his signature.

    President Arif Alvi signs summary for the appointment of COAS and CJCSC: report

    President Dr Arif Alvi has signed the summary to appoint Lt Gen Asim Munir as the new army chief and Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza to be the next Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). It is being reported that President Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be holding meetings with both new appointees shortly.