- Historic 27th Constitutional Amendment dissolves five-decade-old CJCSC office
- Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza retires as the last CJCSC, marking the end of tri-service coordination at the apex
- Newly created CDF-cum-COAS role merges operational, administrative, and strategic authority
- Field Marshal Asim Munir expected to assume CDF, resetting tenure through 2030 with possible extension to 2035
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s higher defence architecture underwent its most sweeping transformation late Thursday as the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) was officially abolished under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, marking the end of nearly five decades of tri-service representation at the apex of military decision-making.
The historic change coincided with the retirement of the 18th and final CJCSC, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, even as the government had yet to formally notify the appointment of the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) under the new structure.
The operationalisation of the amendment to Article 243, passed by parliament on November 13 and signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari, dissolves the coordinating post created in 1976, which critics had long argued never fully realised its intended role of ensuring robust synergy among the army, navy, and air force. Gen Mirza bid farewell to the services during a ceremony at Joint Staff Headquarters on November 26, reflecting on the evolving responsibilities of the tri-services.
Under the restructured command hierarchy, oversight of joint operations, multi-domain planning, and inter-service integration is now consolidated in the newly created CDF, who will concurrently serve as Chief of the Army Staff (COAS).
This dual-hatted role merges operational, administrative, and strategic authority into a single office. Although no official notification had been issued by Thursday evening, Field Marshal Asim Munir is widely expected to assume the position, resetting his tenure to a fresh five-year term with the potential for a five-year extension, keeping him in command through at least 2030 and possibly 2035.
The CDF-cum-COAS will exercise expanded influence, including over the nuclear command via a newly created four-star post, the Commander of National Strategic Command (CNSC). Appointment and extension of the CNSC will be tied exclusively to the CDF’s recommendation, shielded from judicial review, a move experts describe as unprecedented.
Parallel revisions to the Army, Navy, and Air Force Acts eliminate the CJCSC office, redefine service hierarchies, and strengthen the CDF’s role across joint and strategic domains, though the National Command Authority Act has not yet been amended.
Supporters of the overhaul argue it modernises a previously “anachronistic” system, streamlining decision-making across cyber, space, information, and unmanned warfare domains. Gen Mirza, defending the reform, emphasized the need for “tri-services synergy, jointness, and coordination” to meet future challenges.
Critics, however, warn that the centralization of authority risks marginalising the navy and air force at a time of growing maritime and airspace challenges, raising questions about the balance of strategic power within Pakistan’s military hierarchy.
