Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Lt. Gen. Asim Munir, the former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, as head of the nuclear-armed military amid a political crisis.
The Ministry of Defense announced his appointment in a statement published by local media on Nov. 25. Munir will take over for Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, whose six-year term expires on Nov. 29.
Sharif named Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Both nominations were approved by President Arif Alvi, who is also the supreme commander of Pakistan’s armed forces.
The position of army chief is a powerful one in Pakistan, as the military played a significant role in the country’s politics, having ruled the country for 34 years of its 75 years of existence. The military also controls Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal….