ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Monday that the notification appointing Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir as Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) would be issued “in the coming days,” insisting that the army chief was already “holding the office in all respects.”
The CDF post — created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment — replaces the abolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which formally ceased to exist on November 27. The new role combines the army chief’s position with overarching command responsibilities.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said a day earlier that the notification would be issued “in due course of time” and urged against speculation.
Speaking to reporters at the Pakistan National Arts Council, Tarar said the notification was merely a procedural matter. “There’s nothing to worry about. He is holding the office in all respects,” he said, adding that paperwork would be completed once Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — currently in London — returns to the country.
The law minister noted that issuing the notification is the defence ministry’s responsibility, requiring coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office.
Although officials had expected the notification to be released alongside the formal abolition of the CJCSC post, November 29 was considered a particularly sensitive date as it marked the end of the army chief’s original three-year tenure before his extension.
While the government fast-tracked the 27th Amendment through parliament, the unexpected delay in issuing the CDF notification has caused discomfort within the military hierarchy and complicated what planners hoped would be a seamless transition to the new higher-defence structure.
A key related appointment — the commander of the newly established National Strategic Command (NSC), a four-star post inheriting the nuclear command role previously held by the CJCSC — is also on hold until the CDF notification is finalised.
Meanwhile, the National Command Authority (NCA) Act must still be amended to reflect the new structure under Article 243. The changes will be complex, including determining how the new CDF and NSC commander will be positioned relative to the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy chiefs — and whether the air and naval services will retain their representation in the NCA once their strategic commands fall under a unified NSC command.
