Field Marshall Asim Munir: What Power Does This Title Confer On Pakistan's Army Chief?
Day-to-day control stays with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir. If he steps down, his successor takes over, he retains the honorary Field Marshal title.
Pakistan government on Tuesday announced that its army chief General Asim Munir will be promoted to the rank of field marshal. The announcement was made by the office of the Pakistan Prime Minister and was approved by the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The promotion came shortly after Pakistan Army suffered huge losses in the recent conflict with India. Indian armed forces struck terror bases as part of Operation Sindoor to avenge the deaths of innocent tourists in Pahalgam but had to attack military installations of the Pakistan Army after it intervened on behalf of terrorists. Pakistan Army suffered casualties and damages to its air bases and other military installations.
However, the Pakistan government said that the ceremonial ranking was awarded for showing 'courageous leadership".
'It is not individual, but an honour for the armed forced of Pakistan and the whole nation," Munir said in a statement issued by the army public relations wing.
A Pakistani official told news agency Reuters that field marshal was a ceremonial five-star rank that usually signifies extraordinary leadership and wartime achievement.
Field Marshal (FM) is the Pakistan Army's highest possible rank, represented by five stars and is one step above a four-star general (the Chief of Army Staff, or COAS). It is not part of the routine command ladder.
The only other individual to hold this rank was General Ayub Khan, who appointed himself Field Marshal in 1959. Shortly after, he became Pakistan's first military dictator, ruling the country until 1969. His tenure marked the beginning of the military's significant influence over Pakistan's political landscape.
General Asim Munir's elevation to Field Marshal, approved by Pakistan's cabinet on May 20, 2025, comes amid heightened tensions with India, following Munir's active support for terrorist groups and recent violent rhetoric surrounding the two-nation theory that led to the 1947 Partition of India on the basis of religion.
With the new ceremonial rank, Munir will remain the army chief. The Field Marshall title is lifelong once conferred. Its seat in the command chain is above the hierarchy overall, symbolically and goes on to show the enduring prominence of the military in Pakistan's governance.
The cabinet did not say whether Munir's promotion to the rank of field marshal will mean that he has no retirement date.
Munir started his job as army chief in November 2022.
A parliamentary legal amendment extended Munir's term to five years in November 2023, from the usual three years for the role of army chief.
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First Published:
May 20, 2025, 20:31 IST
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