Lieutenant General Asim Munir will replace General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Lieutenant General Asim Munir was on Thursday appointed as the new chief of army staff (COAS) of Pakistan, ending weeks of intense speculation and political tussle in the country.
- He will be Pakistan's 17th army chief since it became independent. Lieutenant General Munir is currently serving as the Quarter Master General at the General Headquarters (GHQ), according to Radio Pakistan. In his current role, he is overseeing supplies for all military units.
- Lieutenant General Asim Munir previously served as Corps Commander Gujranwala, and headed Pakistan's two most influential intelligence agencies - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence. Lieutenant General Munir's stint as ISI chief was just eight months, the shortest ever, as he was sacked by then Prime minister Imran Khan in 2019.
- His appointment to the powerful post of army chief comes at a time when Imran Khan has been locked in a confrontation with the military and the ISI. He will replace General Qamar Javed Bajwa whose six-year tenure as Pak army chief will come to an end on November 29.
- Lieutenant General Munir is also a holder of the Sword of Honour. He was awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz in March 2018, Radio Pakistan said in its report.
- Lieutenant General Munir graduated from the Officers Training School (OTS) in Mangla, and was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Frontier Force Regiment.
