President signs off on top military appointments; Lt Gen Asim Munir to be next army chief
President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday formally approved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s nominations for the next army chief and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), hours after receiving a summary in this regard.
President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday formally approved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s nominations for the next army chief and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), hours after receiving a summary in this regard.
Lt Gen Asim Munir has been named as the chief of army staff and Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been named as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.
The confirmation of the president’s approval was given by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, putting an end to weeks’ long speculation. However, an official handout from the President’s office is still awaited.
Talking to media persons in Islamabad, Asif said that the advisory sent to President Alvi by the government has been approved. “The president has signed [the summary],” he said, calling it a “good omen”. The defence minister said the process of the army chief’s appointment had “caused unrest” in the country but the matter was now “settled”. “I believe that all the people, especially politicians, should bring their behaviors under the ambit of the law and Constitution.”
After receiving the summary from the prime minister earlier in the day, the president reached Lahore on Thursday afternoon to meet with Imran at the PTI chief’s Zaman Park residence, where he is recuperating from injuries he sustained in an assassination attempt.
PTI leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry were also present at Imran’s Lahore residence.