President Alvi signs summary appointing Gen Asim as COAS, and Gen Sahir as CJCSC

President Dr. Arif Alvi signs summary appointing Gen Asim as COAS, and Gen Sahir as CJCSC!

PM Shehbaz had sent a summary on Thursday morning to President Alvi proposing Lt Gen Asim Munir as new army chief, Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as CJCSC.

Uncertainty surrounding key appointments in the military has finally ended as  rumours were ripe that the President may not sign the summary of the new appointments.

President Arif Alvi on Thursday evening signed the summary, approving the appointment of Lieutenant General Asim Munir as the next chief of army staff and Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

As reported, President Dr. Arif Alvi first held a consultation with the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in Lahore before returning to the presidency in Islamabad where he signed the summary.

Furthermore, PM Shehbaz’s nominee for the army chief has also been retained by the federal government under the Pakistan Army Act, according to sources, as he was about to retire later this month.

Outgoing COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa was due to retire on November 29, 2019, at the end of his stipulated term, but was given a three-year extension in service by then-prime minister Khan on August 19, 2019.