Shahbaz Sharif was in London for a reason. He has appointed General Asim Munir as COAS. Clearly, General Asim was my favorite candidate for the next Army Chief appointment. This announcement came just in time, as Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah would have been retiring on 22nd November 2022, next to him is Lt. General SS Mirza to become COAS. General Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah HI(M) held the rank of a three-star general and was recently the Pakistan Army’s quartermaster general.
Among the generals vying to lead Pakistan’s Army, he was now the most senior commander on the list. He is the senior-most. The summary included probable names in order of seniority; Asim Munir, Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Azhar Abbass, Faiz Hameed, and Nouman Mehmood. I think this position directly affects not just the institution and its command itself but an array of other areas such as military coordination with allies, and perhaps matters which are beyond the actual job description – such a role then requires a very dynamic individual who checks out on all fronts and is still free of any controversy before and after the appointment. Difficult to limit choice on the basis of seniority, and frankly, should not be.
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From a PTI’s point of view, Asim Munir, the ISI chief at the time, behaved honorably by informing ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan about corrupt individuals like Farah Gogi and Bushra Bibi. Asim Munir was transferred by Imran Khan. But then Pakistan was under smart martial law as Khan was being a ladla.
