Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir, seen here on November 1, has been appointed to replace General Qamar Javed Bajwa as head of the Pakistani army when Bajwa’s term ends on November 29. Munir, the former chief of staff Pakistan’s intelligence chief, begins his new term amid a bitter feud between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former prime minister Imran Khan. Khan has accused Bajwa of playing some role in his overthrow, an allegation Bajwa has denied.
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Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir, seen here on November 1, has been appointed to replace General Qamar Javed Bajwa as head of the Pakistani army when Bajwa’s term ends on November 29. Munir, the former chief of staff Pakistan’s intelligence chief, begins his new term amid a bitter feud between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former prime minister Imran Khan. Khan has accused Bajwa of playing some role in his overthrow, an allegation Bajwa has denied.
WK Yousufzai/AP
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has appointed the country’s former intelligence chief as head of the army, the information minister said on Thursday, ending months of speculation about a new appointment.
The military has a history of wielding immense political influence in Pakistan, ruling the country for half its 75-year history and also overseeing its nuclear program. Like its neighbors China and India, Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal and missile systems primarily aimed at India.
Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir replaces General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who ends his six-year term on November 29. Munir begins his new role amid a bitter feud between Sharif and the former prime minister. General Imran Khan. Khan has publicly accused Bajwa of playing a role in his overthrow, a charge the outgoing army commander has denied.
Pakistan Army Commander-in-Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrives to attend the Pakistan Independence Day parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 23, 2022. He will retire early next week.
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Pakistan Army Commander-in-Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrives to attend the Pakistan Independence Day parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 23, 2022. He will retire early next week.
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Khan wanted quick elections and Sharif had to resign. Sharif, who replaced Khan through a vote of no confidence in parliament in April, rejected the request, saying further polls would be held as scheduled in 2023.
There was no immediate comment from Khan about Munir, who was the director general of the Interagency Intelligence Service when Khan was in office. Khan fired Munir without explanation.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif told reporters that the nomination of Munir as army chief was “based on merit, the law and the constitution.” He said he hoped that Alvi would not make important appointments “controversial” and would endorse Sharif’s decision immediately.
“It will also help get our country and economy back on track, as things are at a standstill right now,” he said.
Azim Chaudhry, a senior political analyst, told the Associated Press that Munir held key positions under Bajwa, including the head of the military intelligence agency. He said he hoped the new army chief would keep the army away from politics, in line with Bajwa’s policy.
Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb also said Sharif had appointed Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to replace General Nadeem Raza, who is retiring this week.
It is unclear whether President Arif Alvi would immediately approve the appointments as he is a former member of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party. On Thursday, Alvi and Khan met in Lahore to discuss the Munir nomination. Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party did not comment on the meeting. Alvi is expected to release a statement about his meeting the following Thursday.
According to constitutional experts, Alvi is bound to approve the appointments.
Aitzaz Ahsan, a senior constitutional expert, said that Alvi could delay the approval of appointments for 25 days.
Also on Thursday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said Sharif on Thursday promoted Munir to four-star general and Munir will not retire this week even if Alvi delays confirmation of his appointment as chief minister. army command.
Khan extended Bajwa’s term in 2019 amid growing tensions with India. But Khan then ran into disagreements with Bajwa over the appointment of the country’s new chief spy in place of Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed. These differences continued until Khan was overthrown.
Since then, Khan has accused Bajwa of conspiring with the United States to force his government to be overthrown – a charge Washington, Sharif and the military have repeatedly denied.
Bajwa, in a recent televised speech at an army meeting, called Khan’s allegations “a false story.”
“If there is a foreign conspiracy, will we sit quietly? It would be a great sin,” he said, without naming Khan.
Bajwa said on Wednesday the army had shown restraint so far, but issued what appeared to be a veiled warning to Khan.
“Remember that patience has limits,” says Bajwa.
Alvi held at least one meeting in the capital Islamabad between Khan and Bajwa as part of an effort to reconcile them. But government and military officials say Alvi’s efforts failed as Khan continued to accuse Bajwa.
The former cricket hero began a protest march from the eastern city of Lahore on October 28 before surviving a gun attack that left one passerby dead and 13 others injured. Since then, Khan’s protest march has advanced towards Islamabad in convoys without him.
Khan is expected to lead a protest march from the city of Rawalpindi on November 26.
