Pakistan's Army chief General Asim Munir promoted to rank of Field Marshal

Pakistan's Cabinet on Tuesday (May 20) approved a proposal to promote Army Chief General Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office read. The decision was taken during Pakistan's Federal Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Th Field Marshal is country's highest military rank. The decision to promote Munir comes days after India and Pakistan were engaged in cross-border firing as tensions rose between the two neighbouring countries.

Asim Munir has been serving as the 11th Chief of the Army Staff in Pakistan since 2022. In November 2024, his term as Army Chief was extended from three to five years.

This is the first such promotion in Pakistan in over 60 years. The only other individual to hold the rank of Field Marshal was Ayub Khan.

Who is Asim Munir?

Gen Munir claims to be from a humble background, born to a father who was a school teacher and an imam. He also uses Islamic verses and concepts in his speeches, hinting that he is a scholar of his religion. Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah was born in 1966 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Asim Munir is married to Syeda Irum Asim, and they have three children. His net worth, estimated at approximately $800,000-$1 million, primarily comes from his salary and allowances.

Munir, who was appointed the Army chief on 29 November 2022, started his army career in 1986, when
Zia-ul-Haq was at the helm of Pakistan. It is fair to say he was inspired by Zia, who also legitimised his control over the army, and later the nation, on his adherence to Islamic principles.

In the 2016-2018 period, Munir served as the Director-General of Military Intelligence. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 2018, and became the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistani intelligence agency, from October 2018 to June 2019.

Who was Ayub Khan?

Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan was the Pakistan Army Commander-in-Chief and was promoted Field Marshal in 1959. His ascendancy, however, was earlier—by a coup in October 1958. With the support of then-President Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan imposed martial law, suspended the constitution, and within weeks overthrew Mirza himself to become President.

Ayub governed Pakistan between 1958 and 1969, the country's first ever direct military rule. Although his rule initially introduced administrative stability and economic development to the country, it was also marked by growing authoritarianism, repression of political opposition, and concentration of power.

His foreign policy leaned heavily toward the West—especially the United States—earning Pakistan significant military and economic aid during the Cold War. His management of the 1965 war against India was also criticised domestically.

By the late 1960s, public resentment against Ayub's regime grew, with allegations of massive corruption, crony capitalism, and political repression fueling it. Student activism, opposition movements, and public outrage eventually compelled him to resign in 1969, transferring power to General Yahya Khan.