[ad_1]
On Tuesday, former Pakistani spy chief General Asim Munir as the country’s new army chief of staffreplacing General Kamal Javed Bajwa who retired after two consecutive three-year terms.
Munir took office as the 17th Army Chief of Staff in an impressive ceremony at the General Headquarters (GHQ). Senior officials, diplomats and politicians attended the ceremony.
General Bajwa said in a brief speech at the time: “I am very happy that I have given the command of the army to someone who is safe.” Bajwa then handed the baton to General Munir.
Prime Minister sheikh baz sharif Munir was nominated on Nov. 24 for the most powerful post in the coup-prone country, where the military wields considerable power over security and foreign policy.
He was the first Army chief of staff to lead two powerful intelligence agencies simultaneously, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI).His tenure as spy chief at ISI was the shortest ever, as he was replaced by Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid within eight months at the insistence of the then prime minister Imran Khan 2019.
A powerful military has ruled more than half of Pakistan’s 75-plus years of statehood and has so far wielded considerable power over security and foreign policy.
General Munir, who was commissioned to the Frontier Force Corps, has been a close aide to Bajwa since he commanded the force at the Northern Regional Force Command, when he was a Brigadier General under him, when he was a member of the 10th Corps commander.
Munir was later named director of military intelligence in early 2017 and the director of the Inter-Services Intelligence in October next year. But after a brief stint as head of the spy agency, he was removed from his post.
At the time, then-Prime Minister Khan was said to be displeased with him because he was believed to have brought his wife’s alleged corrupt practices to his attention. Khan is also thought to have been annoyed by Munir’s determination to follow through.
He was then appointed Commander of the Gujranwala Regiment, a post he held for two years before being transferred to GHQ as Quartermaster. He was the first Army chief of staff to be awarded the Sword of Honor.
The new Army chief will have to address a range of issues, including the threat of militants.
His inauguration coincided with an announcement by Pakistani Taliban militants to resume attacks across the country.
But his key test will be how to stick to his predecessor’s decision to keep the Army out of politics.
General Bajwa said recently that it was decided in February last year that the military would not interfere in politics and only play its constitutional role.
[ad_2]
Source link