Army Chief tenure to reset with CDF appointment

Blueishere

Blueishere

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Here goes another 5 years.

Chief of the Army (COAS) Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir is set to see a reset to his tenure as the army chief upon his appointment as the chief of the defence forces (CDF) after the National Assembly approved changes to laws pertaining to the three branches of the armed forces shortly after the government tabled them.


The amendments were tabled soon after President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent to the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment, enacting it into law.


Defence Minister Khawaja Asif introduced the Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025, which were passed with a majority vote.

Irfan Sadozai, Published: November 13, 2025
 
Source:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1954870/coas-munir-to-see-tenure-reset-with-cdf-appointment-after-approval-of-changes-to-army-act
So the FM got another 5 years of extension ?
 
Meengla said:
Well, only for 5 years.
Imran Khan was willing to give General Bajwa some lifelong role to prolong both dudes' rules.
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Others generals in waiting list don't oppose such extensions ?
 
onlinpunit said:
Others generals in waiting list don't oppose such extensions ?
Click to expand...

I don't know.
From Pakistan's history, senior Generals waiting to be the next resigned or resigned to their fate. It's called 'careerism'.
On the whole, the Pakistani military is a very highly disciplined force and there have been few very attempts for mutiny in the long history of Pakistan. Imran's was the latest one and thus he is in the dock for that.
 

COAS Asim Munir to serve five years as CDF​


NA approves key amendments to Army, Air Force, Navy acts to create Chief of Defence Forces, new top ranks

Web Desk/Khalid Mehmood
November 13, 2025


field marshal asim munir addressing participants of 17th national workshop balochistan at the ghq photo screengrab ispr


Field Marshal Asim Munir addressing participants of 17th National Workshop Balochistan at the GHQ. Photo: Screengrab ISPR

The National Assembly approved amendments to the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953, and Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961, with a majority vote to bring the laws governing the armed forces in line with the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

The session saw Defence Minister Khawaja Asif present the amendment bills, which were approved by the House following voting. The lawmakers also passed the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure (Amendment) Bill during the same sitting.

Explaining the amendments, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the legislative changes were introduced to harmonise existing laws with the new constitutional framework.

He stated that the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) will serve a five-year term from the date of appointment, while certain adjustments have been made to the structures of the Air Force and Navy. He added that amendments concerning appointments to the newly established Constitutional Court had also been approved, with the Chief Justice to be the first appointee.
 
The law minister further said that going forward, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) will also serve as the Chief of Defence Forces. Tarar said Article 243 of the Constitution had also been amended to formally recognise the rank of Field Marshal. He confirmed that the Ministry of Defence had submitted three summaries, which were approved by the cabinet.

Later, Khawaja Asif introduced the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2025, Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill 2025, and Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill 2025, all of which were passed by the House.

New powers defined for CDF

The new amendment provides that the CDF’s tenure will begin from the date of notification. The COAS will simultaneously serve as the CDF. In case a General is promoted to the rank of Field Marshal, he will perform duties as outlined under the amended clause.

The amendment further stipulates that the federal government will appoint the Vice Chief of Army Staff or Deputy Chief on the recommendation of the CDF. The Vice Chief will exercise powers and perform duties under the directions of the army chief.

The amendment also introduces changes in Section B, replacing the term “government” and providing that appointments will now be made based on the recommendation of the army chief.

Under Clause 8G of the amended Act, the position of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will be abolished effective November 27, 2025. In its place, the prime minister, on the recommendation of the army chief and CDF, will appoint a Commander of the National Strategic Command for a three-year term.
 
The prime minister will determine the service conditions and tenure of the Commander, who may be reappointed for another three-year term upon the recommendation of the CDF. The appointment, reappointment, or extension of the Commander will not be subject to judicial review.

The bill also stipulates that the retirement age, service tenure, or removal clauses under the Army Act will not apply to the Commander National Strategic Command, who will continue to serve as a General in the Pakistan Army while performing his duties in the role.

Earlier in the day, the federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, approved a series of legislative amendments to align national laws with the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

The meeting, held at the Parliament House, also endorsed the creation of the post of CDF and the abolition of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee upon the retirement of the incumbent.

The revised legislation introduces three new honorary military ranks — Field Marshal, Marshal of the Air Force, and Admiral of the Fleet — to reflect modern military structures and contemporary defence needs.
 
One way to look at this, in the US, when the the chief of staff of a military service is elevated from his appointment as the chief to that of the chairman of the joint staff, the tenure starts again. Meaning these are two different tenures with two different sets of responsibilities.

Giving the CDF a 5-year term is not an issue if prior they were the chief of army, navy or the air force.

What muddies it a bit in FM Asim Munir's case is that it becomes 3+5 in service. In the US, it is 4+4.

It is likely that in the future, another army chief could end up doing a 5+5 if they served out the entire tenure in both appointments.

Also, as I mentioned in a past post, the day to day runnings of the army will be delegated to the revived VCoAS appointment:

"The changes further said that the prime minister could, on the army chief’s recommendation, authorise an officer appointed as the vice or deputy chief of army staff to exercise and perform the powers and functions vested in the army chief."
www.dawn.com

COAS Munir’s tenure to reset with CDF appointment after NA approves army act changes

Changes approved to Air Force Act, Navy Ordinance and Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act as well.
www.dawn.com
 
Oscar said:
Ironically this “everything except the name” dictatorship is stronger than any of the other dictatorships before it. At least they dared not mess with overall court structures.
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Courts are like the grumpy elders of the house. Just don't bother them or take away their extremely busy vacationing time at home, you would have smooth sailing 😁 😂
 
Oscar said:
Ironically this “everything except the name” dictatorship is stronger than any of the other dictatorships before it. At least they dared not mess with overall court structures.
Click to expand...
As long as the ruling elite aren't bothered, they have no opposition. Thum be kao, hum bhi kai ge.
 
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