In an unprecedented development, Pakistani government missed a deadline to formally notify the transition of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir into the newly created and highly powerful position of Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) this week.
The deadline, which marked the end of the Army Chief’s original three-year tenure, passed without the expected public notification, which experts say leaves a void in the nation’s military command structure and fuels speculations about uncertainty and indecisiveness of the political government.
The crisis has been sparked by the passage of the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment and subsequent changes to the military acts.
These amendments abolished the position of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and replaced it with the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF).
Defence Minister @KhawajaMAsif said that the notification regarding the Chief of Defence Forces’ (CDF) appointment would be issued “in due course of time”, the process for which had started. https://t.co/Q15QMeOFAq
— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) November 30, 2025
The new CDF role is a two-hatted position, consolidating the CDF’s joint operational, strategic, and coordinating oversight with the administrative command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Field Marshal Munir, who took command as COAS in November 2022, was expected to be notified as the first CDF. However, the missed deadline of November 29, 2025, has triggered a legal debate.
A 2024 amendment to the Pakistan Army Act extended the service chiefs’ tenure from three to five years and included a “deeming” clause, which some legal experts argue automatically extends Field Marshal Munir’s COAS tenure without a new notification.
Despite the COAS tenure debate, there is near consensus among security and legal officials that the CDF position, being a new assignment and a major structural reform, requires a formal, public notification from the government.
This is from Pakistan Defense Minister…. Doesn’t say the #notification would be of #asim_munir ; could be of anybody!#Asim_munir stands retired due to lapse of his appointment period.
Country at another standstill . https://t.co/92KOQSfmDe pic.twitter.com/FdETHPkVrI
— Akbar (@SyedAHussain15) November 30, 2025
Adding to the sense of crisis is the absence of the country’s top leadership.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, are both out of the country in London for medical check-ups when the deadline expired, leading to suggestions if it is a deliberate attempt to avoid signing the politically sensitive order.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif attempted to quell the escalating speculation on Sunday, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that the notification process has been “initiated” and will be issued “in due course,” adding,
“The PM is returning shortly. There is no room for any conjecturing.”
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
