Pak Army Chief Elevated to Field Marshal

The Pakistan government on Tuesday promoted army chief Gen Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal for his role in the recent hostilities with India, marking only the second time in the country's history that a military official has been elevated to the status.

- Rezaul H Laskar

NEW DELHI:

The decision was announced following a meeting of the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who congratulated the nation on the "success" of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, Pakistan's response to India's Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 to target terrorist infrastructure at nine locations.

Munir is the first Pakistani military officer to hold the rank since 1959, when Ayub Khan, the country's first military dictator, declared himself a field marshal.

"The government of Pakistan has approved the promotion of Gen Syed Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal for ensuring the security of the country and defeating the enemy based on the high strategy and courageous leadership during Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos," the Prime Minister's Office said.