Asim Munir
Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah is a Pakistani military officer who is currently serving as Pakistan's first Chief of Defence Forces and the 11th Chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army concurrently. Prior to becoming the COAS, he was posted at the GHQ as quartermaster general. He is the first army chief of Pakistan who has previously headed both the Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence.
Munir received the Sword of Honour for his performance as a cadet in the Officers Training School, Mangla. He commanded the XXX Corps in Gujranwala from 17 June 2019 to 6 October 2021. He served as the 28th Director-General of the ISI until he was replaced by Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed on 16 June 2019. On 20 May 2025, Munir was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal for his leadership during the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, becoming the second-ever person to attain the rank in Pakistan's history after Ayub Khan, and the only field marshal to serve as the Chief of Army Staff simultaneously. He is also a recipient of the Hilal-i-Jur'at, Pakistan's second-highest gallantry award. On 4 December 2025, he was appointed the first Chief of Defence Forces of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The post is a dual-hatted role held concurrently with the Chief of Army Staff, with his tenure as COAS recommencing for a five-year term from the date of the CDF notification.
Early life and education
Munir was born in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan in 1968. He belongs to a Punjabi family. His parents migrated from Jalandhar, East Punjab following the 1947 partition of India. They moved to Toba Tek Singh before settling down in Rawalpindi's Dheri Hassanabad. His father, Syed Sarwar Munir Shah, was the principal of the FG Technical High School, Lalkurti, Rawalpindi and the imam of a mosque, Masjid-al-Quraish, situated in a locality of Dheri Hassanabad, where he often delivered the Friday sermon. Munir has two brothers. Munir received his early religious education at the Markazi Madrasah Dar-ul-Tajweed. He was also a local cricketer, playing as a fast bowler.Munir graduated from the JGSDF Camp Takigahara in Japan, the Command and Staff College, Quetta, the Malaysian Armed Forces College, Kuala Lumpur and the National Defence University, Islamabad, where he earned his MPhil in Public Policy and Strategic Security Management.
Military career
Munir is from the 17th course of the Officers Training School in Mangla and was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Frontier Force Regiment. He was also awarded the Sword of Honour upon passing out from the Officers Training School. During his early military career, he was posted in Saudi Arabia, where he memorised the Quran and became a hafiz. While serving as a brigadier, Munir commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas and an infantry brigade in the Northern Areas of Pakistan.He was appointed Director-General of Military Intelligence in early 2017. He was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in March 2018. Munir was appointed the DG-ISI on 25 October 2018. He served in this capacity until 16 June 2019, a tenure of eight months, which was probably one of the shortest in the office. He was subsequently appointed as corps commander of XXX Corps. From 2021 to November 2022, Lt-General Munir was posted at GHQ as the Quartermaster General of Pakistan Army.
Chief of Army Staff (2022–present)
In November 2022, Munir was promoted to the four-star general rank and appointed as the Chief of the Army Staff of the Pakistan Army. Munir was scheduled to retire on 27 November 2022. Before his appointment as Chief of Army Staff, he submitted his retirement application which was subsequently rejected by the Ministry of Defense, he was informed that the government had decided to retain him in service. Following informal consultations involving Nawaz Sharif, the brother of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Munir was appointed the COAS on 24 November 2022. The summary for his appointment was forwarded by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to President Arif Alvi, who signed and approved it on the same day. Munir assumed the role of COAS on 29 November 2022, two days after his initially scheduled retirement. Munir's selection as COAS was from a pool of six eligible candidates. His appointment was widely perceived as strategic. Munir is the first army chief of Pakistan who has previously headed both the Military Intelligence and Inter-Services Intelligence.In December 2022, he was conferred the Nishan-i-Imtiaz by President Arif Alvi.
In November 2024, Asim Munir's tenure as Army Chief was extended from three to five years after Pakistan's ruling coalition swiftly passed a bill with little debate. The controversial move sparked protests from PTI lawmakers, who accused the government of bypassing democratic processes and suppressing opposition voices. Despite the backlash, the extension secured Munir's position until November 2027. It took 16 minutes for the senate to pass the amendment into law, which Khan's party lawmaker Omar Ayub termed as bulldozing the legislation by the ruling alliance without any debate in either house.
After the May 9 riots, Munir vowed that such orchestrated incidents against the army and the nation would not be allowed again. He announced that the "legal process of trial against planners, instigators, abettors and perpetrators involved in the May 9 tragedy has commenced under Pakistan Army Act and Official Secret Act".
Economic initiatives
During the Kakar caretaker government's nationwide crackdown on illegal dollar trading, unlawful money transfers, and hoarding and smuggling of commodities such as wheat, sugar, and Iranian petroleum products, Munir, as Chief of Army Staff, played a prominent role in state-level coordination. He pledged to continue measures against smuggling and other illicit activities while ensuring accountability for those involved, including security personnel. Following these measures, the Pakistani rupee rebounded from record lows and became the world's best-performing currency in September 2023.The same month, in meetings with business leaders, he emphasised the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council in addressing Pakistan's economic challenges, highlighting its potential to attract up to $100 billion in investment from countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and other Gulf allies. He also announced the creation of task forces on economic and sectoral matters, assured that money exchanges would be brought under taxation to improve transparency in dollar exchange and interbank rates, and said that Pakistan's grey economy was two to three times larger than the documented economy. He facilitated multi-billion-dollar investment agreements with the UAE through the SIFC, covering sectors such as energy, port operations, wastewater treatment, food security, logistics, mining, aviation, and banking.
As of 2024, the SIFC has failed to attract any significant investment. However, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have announced multibillion-dollar commitments through the council. Pakistan's investment-to-GDP ratio fell to 13.1% in the fiscal year 2023–24, its lowest level in 50 years.
Field Marshal (2025–present)
In the aftermath of the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, the Government of Pakistan promoted Munir to the rank of Field Marshal on 20 May 2025, making him the second individual in Pakistan's history to attain the rank after Ayub Khan. Asim Munir's promotion as Field Marshal also makes him the first and only military commander in the history of Pakistan to occupy the office of the Chief of the Army Staff with the rank of Field Marshal, which is a historical departure from a tradition where the COAS often holds a four-star General rank. Ayub Khan, who was Pakistan's first Field Marshal, abandoned his office of the Chief of the Army Staff after his promotion as Field Marshal.The elevation was approved unanimously by the federal cabinet in recognition of his leadership during Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, which the government credited with repelling Indian aggression and ensuring national security. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described the military operation as a "remarkable success" and commended Munir's "exemplary courage and resolve". On 16 May 2025, he declared the day to be observed annually as Youm-e-Tashakur following the conclusion of the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict. According to Inter-Services Public Relations, Munir dedicated the honour to the people of Pakistan, the armed forces, and particularly to the martyrs and veterans.
In June 2025, Munir became the first Pakistani army chief to be hosted for lunch by a serving U.S. president, Donald Trump, without simultaneously holding the office of the country's head of state. Trump credited Munir with playing a key role in defusing the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, preventing escalation to a potential nuclear confrontation. According to U.S. Central Command chief Michael Kurilla, Munir personally coordinated with U.S. officials on counterterrorism operations, including the arrest of the Abbey Gate bombing suspect in Kabul.
In November 2025, under the Twenty-seventh Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, the title of field marshal was granted lifelong legal immunity, which extended to Munir by virtue of his office.