Notification for CDF appointment in due course: Asif

Dubai: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday that the notification for the appointment of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) would be issued “in due course of time”, adding that the process had already begun.

“Please be informed that the process has been initiated. The PM is returning shortly. The notification will be issued in due course of time,” Asif wrote on X.

The CDF post — created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment — replaces the now-abolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which formally ceased to exist on Nov 27. The new role will be dual-hatted, combining the CDF position with that of the army chief.

Officials and observers had expected the notification to be issued around the time the CJCSC office was abolished, while November 29 was viewed as an important date because it marked the end of the original three-year tenure of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Asim Munir, Dawn reported.

Asif’s remarks came as November 29 passed without any announcement, meaning the country’s first CDF has yet to be formally appointed.

His statement indicates that the notification will be released once Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returns to Pakistan. The premier is currently in London for medical check-ups.

Some legal experts had earlier argued that without a fresh notification, Field Marshal Munir’s tenure could be seen as having expired. However, a 2024 amendment to the Pakistan Army Act extended the tenures of all service chiefs to five years. That amendment included a “deeming” clause that states the change “shall always be deemed to have been part of the Pakistan Army Act”, which legal commentators say removes the need for a separate notification extending the COAS tenure from three to five years.

Despite this, there is broad agreement among security and legal officials that the newly created CDF post — being an entirely new appointment — requires its own formal notification. Under the 27th Amendment and subsequent changes to the Army Act, the army chief will simultaneously serve as the CDF for a five-year term.

Security sources contacted earlier by Dawn also maintained that the government would have to issue a clear, public notification assigning the CDF role to Field Marshal Munir.

Sensitive question

The delay in doing so has been widely interpreted as a sign of ongoing discussions within the top tiers of government. Individuals familiar with the matter say one issue under consideration is whether the COAS’s five-year term should be calculated from November 2022 — when Field Marshal Munir first assumed command — or from November 2025, a date that had been broadly speculated after the new legislation was passed.

Another sensitive question relates to the degree of operational and command authority the CDF would have over the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy.

The government moved the 27th Amendment through parliament earlier this month, but the notification delay has caused unease within senior military circles and complicated the transition to the restructured higher-defence framework, which planners had hoped would be smooth.

Another key appointment still pending is that of the commander of the National Strategic Command — a newly created four-star post that will handle the nuclear oversight responsibilities previously held by the CJCSC. Officials expect this decision to be made only after the CDF notification is issued.

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