Lieutenant General Asim Munir was appointed as Pakistan's new Army chief on Thursday. Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza was appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The decision on the appointment was to be made before November 25 when premier Shehbaz Sharif is leaving for Ankara on a two-day visit.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa, 61, is scheduled to retire on November 29 after a three-year extension. He has ruled out seeking another extension.

According to media reports, six generals were in the run for the top slots. It included Lt-Gen Asim Munir (Quarter Master General), Lt-Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza (Commander of 10 Corps), Lt-Gen Azhar Abbas (Chief of General Staff), Lt-Gen Nauman Mehmood (National Defence University Presi­dent), Lt-Gen Faiz Hamid (Commander Bahawalpur Corps), and Lt-Gen Mohammad Amir (Commander Gujranwala Corps).

The Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.

There has been extraordinary interest in the appointment of Bajwa's successor as many believe ousted prime minister Imran Khan's long march is linked to the change of command in the Army.

With inputs from PTI

First Published:Nov 24, 2022 12:32 PM IST