Home Latest News Gen. Asim Munir Takes Charge as 17th Chief of Army Staff

Gen. Asim Munir Takes Charge as 17th Chief of Army Staff

New Army chief handed baton of command by his predecessor, Gen. Bajwa, in formal ceremony at GHQ

by Staff Report

Gen. Bajwa hands over baton of command to Gen. Asim Munir

Gen. Asim Munir formally took charge as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on Tuesday following a change of command ceremony at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The ceremony, which began shortly after 10 a.m., commenced with the GHQ Military Band performing national songs to an audience that included sitting and retired military officers, journalists, diplomats and government officials.

Addressing the gathering before relinquishing his post, outgoing Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said he was thankful for being given the opportunity to lead the Pakistan Army. Congratulating his successor on being appointed the next Army chief, he hoped the change of command would herald a new era of progress for both the country and the Army, noting his association with Gen. Munir spanned 24 years.

“In addition to being a Hafiz-i-Quran, he is a professional, capable and principled officer. I am certain that under his leadership the Army will reach new heights of success,” he said, stressing he was handing the Army to an “expert and capable” officer.

Recalling his own tenure as the Army chief, Gen. Bajwa said his journey with the armed forces, which began several decades back, was now coming to an end. “I am thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to work for this great Army and giving me the opportunity to lead it,” he said, noting that during his six-year term, the armed forces had always responded to his call, whether to tackle terrorism or natural calamities. “And when I asked them for sweat, they gave me blood,” he emphasized.

Noting that the Army’s sacrifices were acknowledged by both friends and foes, he said he was “proud” that despite limited resources, the armed forces defended Pakistan’s boundaries from Siachen to Thar. Quoting American General Douglas MacArthur, he said “old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away,” adding: “I will also into fade into irrelevance but my spiritual relationship with the Army will remain.”

Gen. Bajwa then passed the baton of command to Gen. Munir, formally appointing him the 17th Chief of Army Staff.

New Army chief

Gen. Munir, selected by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to succeed Gen. Bajwa last week, was the senior-most officer in the list of candidates forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office by the Defense Ministry. His appointment wasn’t without controversy, as he was set to retire on Nov. 27, but was retained by the government and promoted to a four-star general upon his selection, thereby ensuring no hindrance to his succession.

The new Army chief entered the service via the Officers Training School program in Mangla, and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment. He is believed to have close ties to Gen. Bajwa, having commanded the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier while the former Army chief was Commander X Corps.

Gen. Munir has also served as the head of both Military Intelligence and the Inter-Services Intelligence, the latter of which proved short-lived—at only eight months—with then-P.M. Imran Khan replacing him with Lt. Gen. Faiz Hamid. The Army chief was subsequently posted the Gujranwala Corps commander, a position he held for two years before being moved to the General Headquarters as the quartermaster general, a post he held until his elevation to the COAS.

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