Shehbaz Sharif
Pakistan’s military leadership has been thrown into uncertainty after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was not present in the country when a crucial notification was expected for Field Marshal Asim Munir’s elevation as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).
Former National Security Advisory Board member Tilak Devasher told ANI that the prime minister’s travel schedule — first to Bahrain and then onward to London — has fuelled doubts about whether he intentionally chose to be away at this sensitive moment.
“Very smartly, Pakistan PM had gone to Bahrain and from there, he pushed off to London,” Devasher said.
“He is deliberately staying out of this because he clearly doesn't want to issue the notification giving Asim Munir 5 years as Army chief and as Chief of Defence Forces. He thinks that by keeping away from Pakistan and not having to sign the notification, he can escape the consequences.”
The government had until November 29 — the last day of Munir’s original three-year term — to formally notify his appointment as Pakistan’s first CDF, but the deadline passed without action, lurching the nuclear power into a new sort of confusion.
The newly created CDF position, established through the 27th Constitutional Amendment, was designed to consolidate Pakistan’s military leadership.
But with no notification and no public explanation from the government, Pakistan now finds itself navigating a leadership void at the top of its armed forces.
Moreover, he warned the implications go well beyond routine military operations.
“If the fact remains that he (Asim Munir) is no longer the Army chief, then you have a situation where Pakistan doesn't have an Army chief and even the nuclear command authority, which was supposed to be under the new post of Strategic Forces Command, is also not there. So, it's an extremely strange situation that Pakistan is under at the moment,” Devasher told the news agency.
The ambiguity stems from conflicting interpretations of constitutional amendments.
Under the revised framework, the Army chief’s term is aligned with the CDF and lasts five years. But as Devasher pointed out, “there has to be a notification.”
According to the ANI report, some experts argue that the government’s inaction may be irrelevant because of the 2024 amendment to the Pakistan Army Act, which set service chiefs’ terms at five years.
The law includes a “deeming clause” that retroactively embeds the amendment into the Act, suggesting an automatic extension of Munir’s term without further paperwork, reported the news agency citing Pakistani news outlet Dawn.
“Some people feel that the Army Act was also amended in 2004, under which the tenure of the Army chief was for 5 years. So, he has done 3 years and has another 2 years to go. So, they feel that no new notification is actually required,” Devesher said.
But he also cautioned that the issue remains unresolved. “This is controversial, and we don't know how the judiciary will look at it or how the government will look at it. But the fact of the matter is that this makes his position very tenuous.”
Internal jockeying inside the military
Adding to the uncertainty is the rumoured competition among senior officers.
“At the same time, there are reports that there are other Generals who are now jostling for position to become Army chief or for the two new posts of 4 stars that have been created,” Devasher said.
He added that the prime minister’s continued absence has only aggravated the confusion. “But this situation can't continue,” he warned. “You can't have a nuclear-armed country without a Chief of the Army Staff or without somebody in charge of the nuclear command authority.”
Former National Security Advisory Board member Tilak Devasher told ANI that the prime minister’s travel schedule — first to Bahrain and then onward to London — has fuelled doubts about whether he intentionally chose to be away at this sensitive moment.
“Very smartly, Pakistan PM had gone to Bahrain and from there, he pushed off to London,” Devasher said.
“He is deliberately staying out of this because he clearly doesn't want to issue the notification giving Asim Munir 5 years as Army chief and as Chief of Defence Forces. He thinks that by keeping away from Pakistan and not having to sign the notification, he can escape the consequences.”
The government had until November 29 — the last day of Munir’s original three-year term — to formally notify his appointment as Pakistan’s first CDF, but the deadline passed without action, lurching the nuclear power into a new sort of confusion.
The newly created CDF position, established through the 27th Constitutional Amendment, was designed to consolidate Pakistan’s military leadership.
But with no notification and no public explanation from the government, Pakistan now finds itself navigating a leadership void at the top of its armed forces.
Constitutional confusion deepens
Without clarity on Munir’s status, the country is technically without an Army chief, Devasher noted. “All in all, this is a very messy state of affairs,” he said.Moreover, he warned the implications go well beyond routine military operations.
“If the fact remains that he (Asim Munir) is no longer the Army chief, then you have a situation where Pakistan doesn't have an Army chief and even the nuclear command authority, which was supposed to be under the new post of Strategic Forces Command, is also not there. So, it's an extremely strange situation that Pakistan is under at the moment,” Devasher told the news agency.
The ambiguity stems from conflicting interpretations of constitutional amendments.
Under the revised framework, the Army chief’s term is aligned with the CDF and lasts five years. But as Devasher pointed out, “there has to be a notification.”
But is a notification even needed?
The legal debate has only grown more tangled.According to the ANI report, some experts argue that the government’s inaction may be irrelevant because of the 2024 amendment to the Pakistan Army Act, which set service chiefs’ terms at five years.
The law includes a “deeming clause” that retroactively embeds the amendment into the Act, suggesting an automatic extension of Munir’s term without further paperwork, reported the news agency citing Pakistani news outlet Dawn.
“Some people feel that the Army Act was also amended in 2004, under which the tenure of the Army chief was for 5 years. So, he has done 3 years and has another 2 years to go. So, they feel that no new notification is actually required,” Devesher said.
But he also cautioned that the issue remains unresolved. “This is controversial, and we don't know how the judiciary will look at it or how the government will look at it. But the fact of the matter is that this makes his position very tenuous.”
Internal jockeying inside the military
Adding to the uncertainty is the rumoured competition among senior officers.
“At the same time, there are reports that there are other Generals who are now jostling for position to become Army chief or for the two new posts of 4 stars that have been created,” Devasher said.
He added that the prime minister’s continued absence has only aggravated the confusion. “But this situation can't continue,” he warned. “You can't have a nuclear-armed country without a Chief of the Army Staff or without somebody in charge of the nuclear command authority.”
