Islamabad: The Pakistan government on Thursday announced that Lieutenant General Asim Munir will replace General Qamar Javed Bajwa as the country’s new Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).
Bajwa, 61, is scheduled to retire on November 29 after a three-year extension. He has ruled out seeking another extension.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Twitter that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has named Munir as Pakistan’s new Army chief.
Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza had been picked as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). “The summary about (appointments) has been sent to the President,” Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted.
Both officers have also been promoted to four-star generals.
Lt Gen Munir entered the service via the Officers Training School programme and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment.
He has been a close aide of Gen Bajwa ever since he commanded 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 Military Intelligence director general in early 2017, and in October next year was made the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief.
(With Agency Inputs)