Asim Munir elevated as Pakistan’s first CDF, becomes country's most powerful general yet

Pakistan has handed unprecedented power to Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, appointing him as the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), a move that places both military and defence authority under one individual for the next five years. The Shehbaz Sharif government cleared the decision after weeks of political bargaining and backroom negotiations, raising concerns over an extraordinary concentration of military influence in a country already dominated by the army.

A notification issued by President Asif Ali Zardari confirmed that Munir will retain his current office as Chief of Army Staff while simultaneously heading the newly created CDF post. The statement from the President’s Office read, “President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the summary submitted by the Prime Minister