No Chief of Defence Forces Notification as Crucial Deadline Expires, With the crucial November 29 deadline now passed, concerns are mounting over the government’s failure to issue the formal notification for appointing Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) — a powerful new role that merges the responsibilities of the army chief and the abolished Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
The CDF post was created through the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which officially ended the CJCSC office on November 27. Many observers had expected the notification for the new appointment to follow immediately, especially since November 29 marked the date when the original three-year tenure of the current Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was set to conclude.
Legal Debate Over Tenure Extension
Some legal experts argued that, in the absence of a fresh notification, FM Munir’s original tenure might technically be viewed as having expired. However, a 2024 amendment to the Pakistan Army Act extended the tenure of all service chiefs from three to five years. This amendment included a “deeming clause,” specifying that the changes “shall always be deemed to have been part of the Pakistan Army Act.”
According to legal analysts, this clause effectively eliminates the need for a new notification extending the army chief’s tenure, meaning that November 29 did not constitute a legal deadline.
CDF Appointment Still Requires Notification
Despite clarity on the chief’s tenure, security and legal officials say the CDF appointment is a fresh assignment, not a continuation of the COAS role. Under the constitutional amendment and subsequent revisions to the Army Act, the army chief is required to serve simultaneously as the CDF for a five-year term, but this dual mandate cannot take effect without a formal government notification.
Lingering Questions About New Military Structure
The delay has also fueled broader debate within defence circles about how the new military hierarchy will function, particularly regarding:
- the positioning of the CDF relative to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Navy (PN) chiefs, and
- whether the air and naval chiefs will continue to have representation in the National Command Authority (NCA) once their strategic commands are integrated under a unified National Security Council (NSC) commander.
Until the notification is issued, uncertainty persists over how Pakistan’s revamped command system will operate and how responsibilities will be distributed across the armed forces.