Pakistan’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to promote Army Chief General Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal, reported Reuters citing a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The move comes days after India and Pakistan engaged in firing and military action after tensions escalated between the two countries.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. State-run television channel PTV reported that Munir had been promoted for his “exemplary role” in the conflict with India.
As tensions between the two countries escalated Asim Munir had announced that while Pakistan sought peace, they would not hesitate to take action to protect their national prestige.
During a speech on May 5 in Rawalpindi, he said, as quoted by GeoTV, “Pakistan seeks peace in the region and beyond; however, if Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are violated, Pakistan will respond with full force to preserve its national prestige and the well-being of its people.”
Who is Asim Munir?
Before being appointed to Pakistan army’s top post, Munir headed the country’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) when tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pulwama suicide attack in February 2019 that resulted in the death of 40 CRPF personnel.
General Asim Munir replaced General Qamar Javed Bajwa as the Chief of Army Staff in November, 2022.
Asim Munir has been serving as the 11th Chief of the Army Staff in Pakistan since 2022. In November 2024, his tenure as Army Chief was extended from three to five years.
