Asim Munir Becomes Pakistan’s Most Powerful Man As Its First CDF As Nuclear-Armed Nation Resets Power Order
Asim Munir is the first military officer in Pak history to hold both the five-star rank of Field Marshal and the combined command of COAS and CDF. Image courtesy: AI-generated picture via Sora
A power reset in Islamabad has transformed Pakistan’s power architecture, in a way that offered yet another promotion to its Army Chief General Asim Munir. While it was the post of ‘Field Marshal’ after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has this time made Munir the most powerful military man in the country.
On a single presidential signature, a new military post – the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) – was on Thursday evening (December 4, 2025) written into the country’s security framework, eclipsing decades of civil–military balance and marking the most dramatic overhaul since the Musharraf era.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has formally elevated Field Marshal Asim Munir as Pakistan’s first-ever CDF, a five-year appointment that now places one man at the apex of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and crucially, the National Strategic Command that controls Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
How Munir gained control over the military and nuclear command?
Last month, the nuclear-armed nation passed the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which significantly reshaped the nation’s power structure. This provision granted Munir sweeping new authority and lifelong legal immunity as the constitutional amendment strengthened his control over all branches of the military.
Munir and the President of Pakistan will both enjoy lifelong immunity from prosecution. In one stroke, the 27th Constitutional Amendment dissolved the old Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), replacing it with the CDF.
In an announcement via the official X handle, the President of Pakistan said, “President Asif Ali Zardari approved the appointment of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as COAS concurrently as CDF for 5 years, and a 2-year extension for Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu from 19 March 2026.”
Pakistan Chief of Defence Forces: What authority does Munir has now?
Munir now holds direct authority over all three services; operational control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and missile systems; simultaneous office as Chief of Army Staff; a five-star Field Marshal rank, only the second in Pakistan’s history after Ayub Khan. For a nuclear-armed nation of 240 million, this centralisation is unprecedented.
In effect, Munir now enjoys legal safeguards equal to the head of state, making it nearly impossible for future governments to challenge him, or deny him a second term should he seek one in 2030. As one Pakistani analyst put it, “The constitution has been rewritten around Munir.”
Does Munir’s appointment as CDF shift Pakistan’s civil–military balance?
Pakistan has oscillated between overt military rule and hybrid civilian–military governance since 1947. The last military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, seized power in 1999 and stepped down in 2008, after which elected governments returned. However, it never truly ruled without the Army’s shadow.
The new law even gives the CDF authority to recommend the Vice Chief of Army Staff, a power previously held by the civilian government. The alteration effectively trims the executive’s influence over military promotions at the highest levels.
Is the timing of the appointment crucial?
Munir’s original three-year term as Army chief was due to end last month on November 29. The government had been expected to announce the new defence structure that same day, but the plan was delayed amid political hesitation and internal consultations. By elevating Munir to the newly empowered CDF role, while retaining him as COAS, Sharif has ensured that Munir will remain at the helm of Pakistan’s military power for at least five more years.
He congratulated Munir on Friday (December 5, 2025) calling his appointment as Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces “historic”. As the sentinel of our nation’s security, his leadership has been pivotal in guiding our brave Armed Forces to a decisive victory in the Battle for Truth, Sharif posted on X.
Pakistan PM Sharif waxed lyrical about Munir’s capabilities during the war and how “the people of Pakistan will always remember his bold and courageous leadership”. “All national institutions stand united for the defence, development, and prosperity of Pakistan,”Sharif noted.
