Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has approved Asim Munir for the newly created position of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), while he also remains the Chief of the Army Staff, solidifying the military’s disturbing dominance over Pakistan’s civilian government. This move, which grants Munir command over all three services for five years, is a stark confirmation that the army has once again outmanoeuvred the political leadership, effectively making the civilian government subordinate.
The fact that the decision was delayed due to speculation about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s reluctance only underscores the power struggle, which the military clearly won by pushing through the new CDF role via the 27th Constitutional Amendment. This is not about centralising military command for efficiency; it is about legalising and institutionalising military rule, placing one unelected officer at the apex of all strategic power and pushing Pakistan further down the path toward entrenched authoritarianism.
