A guard of honour ceremony was held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Monday to honour Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the country’s newly appointed Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS). During the ceremony, contingents from the Pakistan Army, Navy, and Air Force presented the CDF with the guard of honour. The event was also attended by Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, and senior officers from all three services. The Ministry of Defence officially notified Munir’s appointment as CDF on Friday, following President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Munir, who was promoted to Field Marshal earlier this year, will serve concurrently as COAS for five years. He is Pakistan’s second Field Marshal and the first in more than six decades, elevated following the country’s victory over India in the May war. The creation of the CDF post comes after President Zardari approved the Pakistan Army, Air Force, and Navy (Amendment) Bills 2025, under which Article 243—defining the powers of a Field Marshal—also applies to any general promoted to this rank. CDF’s brief profile Field Marshal and CDF Munir was commissioned in the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment in 1986. He passed out with the 17th Officers Training Course at Mangla. He has held several key military positions, including directing staff at Command and Staff College, Quetta; brigade major of a deployed infantry brigade in Kel; general staff officer, grade-2 at the CGS secretariat; and chief of staff of Mangla Corps. He also served as Quartermaster General at the General Headquarters. Field Marshal Munir has commanded the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment and an infantry brigade, and has served as force commander in the Northern Areas, Gilgit. He has held top intelligence positions, including Director General of Military Intelligence (MI) and head of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). After heading ISI, he was posted as Corps Commander Gujranwala and then as Quartermaster General — his last assignment before becoming army chief. He graduated from Fuji School, Japan; Command and Staff College, Quetta; Malaysian Armed Forces College, Kuala Lumpur; and National Defence University, Islamabad. He also holds an MPhil in Public Policy and Strategic Security Management from the National Defence University. CDF Field Marshal Munir is the first army chief to be awarded the Sword of Honour.