Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appointed Lieutenant General Asim Munir as the new chief of the country’s powerful army. Munir took charge General Qamar Javed Bajwa Who is due to retire on November 29 after an extension of three years. He has denied seeking another extension.
The powerful military has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its more than 75 years of existence. Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza was elected as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
Here are some things to know about Munir:
He has been a close aide of Gen Bajwa ever since he took charge of troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under the outgoing Army Chief, who was then Commander X Corps.
Lt Gen Munir was later appointed Director General of Military Intelligence in early 2017, and was made the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief in October the following year.
He was prematurely removed as head of the ISI at the request of the then Prime Minister Imran Khan and was replaced within eight months by Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid. No reason was given for his removal.
He is currently serving as the Quartermaster General of the Army.
He is the senior most rank general after the outgoing Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
He will be the 17th Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan since the declaration of independence from Britain in 1947. Compared to about 30 prime ministers during the same period.
with inputs from agencies
