Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Monday that the government would issue the notification appointing Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir as the country’s first chief of defence forces (CDF) in the coming days, adding that he was already “holding the office in all respects”.
The CDF position, created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, replaced the now-abolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which formally ended on November 27. It will be a dual-hatted position combined with the office of the army chief.
A day prior, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the notification would be issued “in the due course of time” and urged people to refrain from speculation.
Speaking to reporters at the Pakistan National Arts Council, Tarar said, “The notification will happen; there’s nothing for you or me to worry about. He’s holding the office in all respects.”
The minister elaborated that official processes are underway to issue the notification.
“The PM is out of the country right now, so once he returns, everything should happen,” he added. “Maybe the paperwork will be completed by then.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is currently on a visit to London and, according to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, is expected to return today.
The law minister further explained that notifying the new CDF is the defence ministry’s job, and they have to coordinate with the PM’s office.
Officials and observers had expected the new notification to coincide with the abolition of the CJCSC post, but November 29 was seen as a critical marker, being the date on which the original three-year tenure of the incumbent army chief was set to expire.
The government rapidly pushed the 27th Amendment through parliament last month, but the notification setback has left top military leadership embarrassed and has complicated the transition to the restructured higher-defence framework, which military planners had hoped would be seamless.
Another pending decision is the appointment of the commander of the National Strategic Command, a new four-star position created to assume the nuclear manager role previously exercised by the CJCSC. Officials believe this appointment will be made only after the CDF notification is issued.
Meanwhile, the National Command Authority (NCA) Act still requires amendment to reflect the abolition of the CJCSC and the emergence of the CDF and NSC commander under Article 243.
The changes are expected to be complex, particularly regarding the placement of the new posts relative to the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy chiefs and whether the air force and navy heads will retain representation in the NCA once their strategic commands are subsumed under a unified NSC commander.
