Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday sent a summary to President Asif Ali Zardari for appointing Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir as Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces.
The CDF position, created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, will replace the now-abolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which formally ended on November 27. It would be a dual-hatted position combined with the office of the army chief.
Last week, the defence minister said the notification would be issued “in the due course of time” and urged people to refrain from speculation. Officials and observers had expected the new notification to coincide with CJCSC post’s abolition.
Another pending decision is the appointment of the commander of the National Strategic Command, a new four-star position created to assume nuclear manager role previously exercised by CJCSC.
More to follow
