Pakistan promotes army chief Munir to 5-star rank of Field Marshal for 'crushing enemy'

ISLAMABAD: The Shehbaz Sharif govt in Pakistan promoted Tuesday army chief Syed Asim Munir from general to the five-star rank of Field Marshal in recognition of what it described as “exemplary leadership” while responding to India’s Operation Sindoor and bringing “great honour to our motherland”.

For a country that has had four military rulers at different periods in its history, Field Marshal Munir is only the second Army chief to have been elevated to the apex rank, modelled on the British army’s structure. The first one, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, assumed the rank in 1959 while he was President, citing “requests” from Pakistani civil society.

PM Shehbaz’s office announced that the cabinet unanimously decided to also continue the services of Air Chief Marshal Zahar Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his term ends.

The statement also claimed that Pakistan downed five Indian jets and thwarted “further incursions”, leading to a US-mediated pause in military operations from May 10. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media affairs wing, quoted Field Marshal Munir as dedicating the honour to “the nation, armed forces, and martyrs”.

In a congratulatory statement on X, Shehbaz credited Field Marshal Munir with orchestrating a “high strategy” during the conflict with India, which escalated with the latter’s May 6-7 airstrikes targeting nine terrorist sites. Operation Sindoor was India’s response to 26 deaths in the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in J&K’s Pahalgam.

Without naming India, Shehbaz said that under Field Marshal Munir, the army “crushed the enemy’s nefarious designs”.

With Pakistan’s history of military coups looming large, newly coronated Field Marshal Munir is widely seen as the kingmaker behind Shehbaz’s premiership. Critics of the move within Pakistan argue the promotion strengthens the military’s grip over civilian governance, especially amid domestic challenges like the Baloch insurgency and economic woes.

The timing of the promotion, coinciding with Pakistan seeking US and EU’s support to counter “India’s terrorism narrative”, suggests a bid to project strength.

While the PM's office and ISPR frame Field Marshal Munir’s elevation as a tribute to national resilience, its political undertones and opaque military claims raise concerns about democratic backsliding and regional instability.