| order = 01
| order = 01
| image = Tikka Khan.png
| image = Tikka Khan.png
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Tikka Khan]] {{small|[[Hilal–e-Jurat|HJ]], HQA, [[Sitara-e-Pakistan|SPk]]}}
| officeholder = [[Tikka Khan]] {{-|HJ|SPk}}
| officeholder_sort = Khan, Tikka
| officeholder_sort = Khan, Tikka
| born_year = 1915
| born_year = 1915
| order = 02
| order = 02
| image = General Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq.jpg
| image = General Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq.jpg
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] {{font|size=75%|[[General Service Medal (1918)|GSM]] [[Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali|OHA]] [[Order of the Rajamitrabhorn|ORM]] [[Order of the Star of Jordan|OSJ]] [[Order of Independence (Jordan)|OIn]] [[Order of the Yugoslav Star|OYS]]}}
| officeholder = [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]]
| officeholder_sort = Zia-ul-Haq, Muhammad
| officeholder_sort = Zia-ul-Haq, Muhammad
| born_year = 1924
| born_year = 1924
| order = 03
| order = 03
| image = Mirza Aslam Beg.png
| image = Mirza Aslam Beg.png
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Mirza Aslam Beg]] {{small|[[Nishan–i-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Sitara-e-Basalat|SBt]]}}
| officeholder = [[Mirza Aslam Beg]]{{-|NI(M)|SBt}}
| officeholder_sort = Beg, Mirza
| officeholder_sort = Beg, Mirza
| born_year = 15 February 1928
| born_year = 1928
| died_year =
| died_year =
| term_start = 17 August 1988
| term_start = 17 August 1988
| order = 04
| order = 04
| image = Asif Nawaz Janjua.png
| image = Asif Nawaz Janjua.png
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Asif Nawaz Janjua]] {{small|[[Nishan–i-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Sitara-e-Basalat|SBt]]}}
| officeholder = [[Asif Nawaz Janjua]]{{-|NI(M)|SBt}}
| officeholder_sort = Janjua, Asif
| officeholder_sort = Janjua, Asif
| born_year = 1937
| born_year = 1937
| order = 05
| order = 05
| image = Abdulwaheedkakar.jpg
| image = Abdulwaheedkakar.jpg
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Abdul Waheed Kakar]] {{small|[[Nishan–i-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Sitara-e-Basalat|SBt]]}}
| officeholder = [[Abdul Waheed Kakar]]{{-|NI(M)|SBt}}
| officeholder_sort = Kakar, Abdul
| officeholder_sort = Kakar, Abdul
| born_year = 1937
| born_year = 1937
| order = 06
| order = 06
| image = Jehangir_Karamata.png
| image = Jehangir_Karamata.png
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Jehangir Karamat]] {{small|[[Nishan–i-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Tamgha-e-Basalat|TBt]]}}
| officeholder = [[Jehangir Karamat]] {{-|NI(M)|TBt}}
| officeholder_sort = Karamat, Jehangir
| officeholder_sort = Karamat, Jehangir
| born_year = 1941
| born_year = 1941
{{Officeholder table
{{Officeholder table
| order = 07
| order = 07
| image =Pervez_Musharraf_2004.jpg
| image =Pervez_Musharraf_2004.jpg
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Pervez Musharraf]] {{small|[[Nishan–i-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Tamgha-e-Basalat|TBt]]}}
| officeholder = [[Pervez Musharraf]] {{-|NI(M)|TBt}}
| officeholder_sort = Musharraf, Pervez
| officeholder_sort = Musharraf, Pervez
| born_year = 1943
| born_year = 1943
| order = 08
| order = 08
| image = Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.png
| image = Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.png
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Ashfaq Pervez Kayani]] {{small|[[Nishan–e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI(C)]]}}
| officeholder = [[Ashfaq Pervez Kayani]]{{-|NI(M) [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI(C)]]}}
| officeholder_sort = Kayani, Ashfaq Parvez
| officeholder_sort = Kayani, Ashfaq Parvez
| born_year = 1952
| born_year = 1952
| order = 09
| order = 09
| image = General Raheel Sharif.jpg
| image = General Raheel Sharif.jpg
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Raheel Sharif]] {{small|[[Nishan–e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI(M)]]}}
| officeholder = [[Raheel Sharif]]{{-|NI(M)|HI(M)}}
| officeholder_sort = Sharif, Raheel
| officeholder_sort = Sharif, Raheel
| born_year = 1956
| born_year = 1956
| order = 10
| order = 10
| image = General Qamar Javed Bajwa.jpg
| image = General Qamar Javed Bajwa.jpg
| military_rank = General
| military_rank = General
| officeholder = [[Qamar Javed Bajwa]] {{small|[[Nishan–e-Imtiaz|NI(M)]], [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI(M)]]}}
| officeholder = [[Qamar Javed Bajwa]] {{-|NI(M)|HI(M)}}
| officeholder_sort = Bajwa, Qamar
| officeholder_sort = Bajwa, Qamar
| born_year = 1960
| born_year = 1960
| order = 11
| order = 11
| image = Field Marshal Asim Munir.jpg
| image = Field Marshal Asim Munir.jpg
| military_rank = Field Marshal
| military_rank = Field Marshal
| officeholder = [[Asim Munir|Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah]] {{small|[[Nishan-i–Imtiaz|NI(M)]],[[Hilal-i-Jurat|”’HJ”’]] [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI(M)]]}}
| officeholder = [[Asim Munir|Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah]]{{-|NI(M)|HJ|HI(M)}}
| officeholder_sort = Munir, Asim
| officeholder_sort = Munir, Asim
| born_year = 1968
| born_year = 1968
Senior field commander of the Pakistan Army
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is a position in the Pakistani Army typically held by a four-star general.[2] As the highest-ranking officer, it is the most powerful position in the army.[3][4] Due to the influence of the military in Pakistan, the position is seen as the most powerful office in the country.[5][6][7]
This is the senior most appointment in the army who is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in a separate capacity, usually consulting with the Chairman joint chiefs to act as a military adviser to the Prime Minister and its civilian government in the line of defending the land borders of the country.[8] The Chief of the Army Staff exercises responsibility of command and control of the operational, combatant, logistics, and training commands within the army.[8]
The appointment, in principle, is constitutionally subjected to be for 5 years after the approval by the President on the recommendations of the Prime Minister.[9] The Chief of the Army Staff is based in the GHQ, and the current Chief is General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, serving in this capacity since 29 November 2022.[10][11]
Office of the Chief of the Army Staff
[edit]
The designation of the Chief of the Army Staff was created from the previous title Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army in 1972.[citation needed] The Prime Minister approves the nomination and appointment of the Chief of Army Staff, with President confirming the Prime Minister’s appointed choosing and nomination.[12]
The army leadership is based in the GHQ whose functions are supervised by the Chief of Army Staff, assisted by the civilians from the Army Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).[1] The Chief of Army Staff exercises the responsibility of complete operational, training and logistics commands.: 131 [13][self-published source?]
Typically, the Chief of Army Staff is a four-star full general. However, two Chiefs of Army Staff— Ayub Khan and Asim Munir— were promoted to the five-star field marshal rank.[2]
There are several principle staff officers (PSO) who assist in running the operations of the Army GHQ:
List of Chiefs of the Army Staff
[edit]
| No. | Portrait | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |
 |
Khan, TikkaGeneral Tikka Khan HQA HJ SPk (1915–2002) |
3 March 1972 | 1 March 1976 | 3 years, 364 days | 2 Fd Regt Arty |
| 02 |
 |
Zia-ul-Haq, MuhammadGeneral Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq GSM OHA ORM OSJ OIn OYS (1924–1988) |
1 March 1976 | 17 August 1988 | 12 years, 169 days | 13 Lancers |
| 03 |
 |
Beg, MirzaGeneral Mirza Aslam Beg NI(M) SBt (born 1928) |
17 August 1988 | 16 August 1991 | 2 years, 364 days | 16 Baloch |
| 04 |
 |
Janjua, AsifGeneral Asif Nawaz Janjua NI(M) SBt (1937–1993) |
16 August 1991 | 8 January 1993 † | 1 year, 145 days | 5 Punjab |
| 05 |
 |
Kakar, AbdulGeneral Abdul Waheed Kakar NI(M) SBt (born 1937) |
11 January 1993 | 12 January 1996 | 3 years, 1 day | 5 FF / 27 AK |
| 06 |
 |
Karamat, JehangirGeneral Jehangir Karamat NI(M) TBt (born 1941) |
12 January 1996 | 6 October 1998 | 2 years, 267 days | 13 Lancers |
| 07 |
 |
Musharraf, PervezGeneral Pervez Musharraf NI(M) TBt (1943–2023) |
6 October 1998 | 29 November 2007 | 9 years, 53 days | 16 (SP) (The Dashing Sixteen) |
| 08 |
 |
Kayani, Ashfaq ParvezGeneral Ashfaq Pervez Kayani NI(M) HI(C) (born 1952) |
29 November 2007 | 29 November 2013 | 6 years | 5 Baloch |
| 09 |
 |
Sharif, RaheelGeneral Raheel Sharif NI(M) HI(M) (born 1956) |
29 November 2013 | 29 November 2016 | 3 years | 6 FF |
| 10 |
 |
Bajwa, QamarGeneral Qamar Javed Bajwa NI(M) HI(M) (born 1960) |
29 November 2016 | 29 November 2022 | 6 years | 16 Baloch |
| 11 |
 |
Munir, AsimField Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah NI(M) HJ HI(M) (born 1968) |
29 November 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 362 days | 23 FF |
- ^ a b MoD, Ministry of Defence. “Organogram of MoD” (PDF). mod.gov.pk/. Ministry of Defence Press. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ a b Hussain, Abid (21 May 2025). “Pakistan promotes army chief Asim Munir to field marshal: Why it matters”. Al Jazeera. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
How rare is the field marshal rank? Very. In Pakistan, a full general – denoted by four stars – is usually the standard rank for the army chief […] Munir is only the second [Chief of Army Staff] – after Ayub Khan – to be promoted to field marshal.
- ^ “Pakistan Extends Term For Powerful Army Chief”. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ “Lt Gen Raheel appointed as new COAS, Lt Gen Rashad as CJCSC”. The News. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Baloch, Shah Meer (10 May 2025). “Who is Gen Asim Munir, the army chief leading Pakistan’s military amid India crisis?”. The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Leahy, Joe; Jilani, Humza (18 June 2025). “Pakistan’s strongman courts US while drawing closer to China”. Financial Times. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Masood, Salman (5 May 2025). “Pakistan’s Most Powerful Man Steps Out of the Shadows to Confront India”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ a b Shabbir, Usman (2003). “Command and Structure control of the Pakistan Army”. pakdef.org. PakDef Military Consortium. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- ^ “Will retire on November 29, Kayani confirms”. The Express Tribune. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
- ^ “Gen Bajwa to hand over command to Gen Munir today”. DAWN. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ “Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to hand over command to Gen Syed LANATI WHISKY Asim Munir shortly”. GEO TV. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ Zahra-Malik, Drazen Jorgic and Mehreen (26 November 2016). “Pakistan PM Sharif names General Bajwa as new army chief”. Reuters UK. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ Pakistan Intelligence, Security Activities and Operations Handbook – Strategic Information and Developments. Lulu.com. 2009. p. 230. ISBN 9781438737225. Retrieved 24 July 2017.[self-published source]
