| Chief of Army Staff | |
|---|---|
.svg) Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan | |
 | |
| Ministry of Defence Army Secretariat-I atMoD[1] | |
| Abbreviation | COAS |
| Member of | Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee National Security Council Special Investment Facilitation Council |
| Seat | General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi Cantonment,Punjab |
| Appointer | The president on advice of the prime minister |
| Term length | 5 years Renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Article |
| Precursor | Commander-in-Chief of the Army |
| Formation | 3 March 1972; 53 years ago (1972-03-03) |
| First holder | GeneralTikka Khan |
| Succession | On basis of seniority, subjected to the decision of armed forces itself |
| Unofficial names | Army Chief |
| Deputy | Chief of the General Staff |
| Salary | According to Pakistan Military officer's Pay Grade (apex Scale) |
| Website | Official website |
TheChief of the Army Staff (COAS) concurrentlyChief of Defence Force (CDF) is a position in thePakistani Army typically held by afour-stargeneral.[2] As the highest-ranking officer, it is the most powerful position in the army.[3][4] Due to the influence of the military in Pakistan, the position is seen as the most powerful office in the country.[5][6][7]
This is the senior most appointment in the army who is a member of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee in a separate capacity, usually consulting with theChairman joint chiefs to act as amilitary adviser to thePrime Minister and itscivilian government in the line of defending theland borders of the country.[8] The Chief of the Army Staff exercises responsibility ofcommand and control of the operational, combatant, logistics, and training commands within the army.[8]
The appointment, in principle, is constitutionally subjected to be for 5 years after the approval by thePresident on the recommendations of the Prime Minister.[9] The Chief of the Army Staff is based in theGHQ, and the current Chief isGeneralSyed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, serving in this capacity since 29 November 2022.[10][11]
The designation of the Chief of the Army Staff was created from the previous titleCommander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army in 1972.[citation needed] ThePrime Minister approves the nomination and appointment of the Chief of Army Staff, withPresident confirming the Prime Minister's appointed choosing and nomination.[12]
The army leadership is based in theGHQ whose functions are supervised by the Chief of Army Staff, assisted by the civilians from the Army Secretariat of theMinistry of Defence (MoD).[1] The Chief of Army Staff exercises the responsibility of complete operational, training and logistics commands.: 131 [13][self-published source?]
Typically, the Chief of Army Staff is a four-star full general. However, two Chiefs of Army Staff—Ayub Khan andAsim Munir— were promoted to the five-star field marshal rank.[2]
There are several principlestaff officers (PSO) who assist in running the operations of the Army GHQ:
| No. | Portrait | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 |  | Khan, TikkaGeneral Tikka Khan HQA HJ SPk (1915–2002) | 3 March 1972 | 1 March 1976 | 3 years, 364 days | 2 Fd Regt Arty |
| 02 |  | Zia-ul-Haq, MuhammadGeneral Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq GSMOHAORMOSJOInOYS (1924–1988) | 1 March 1976 | 17 August 1988 | 12 years, 169 days | 13 Lancers |
| 03 |  | Beg, MirzaGeneral Mirza Aslam Beg NI(M) SBt (born 1928) | 17 August 1988 | 16 August 1991 | 2 years, 364 days | 16 Baloch |
| 04 |  | Janjua, AsifGeneral Asif Nawaz Janjua NI(M) SBt (1937–1993) | 16 August 1991 | 8 January 1993 † | 1 year, 145 days | 5 Punjab |
| 05 |  | Kakar, AbdulGeneral Abdul Waheed Kakar NI(M) SBt (born 1937) | 11 January 1993 | 12 January 1996 | 3 years, 1 day | 5 FF /27 AK |
| 06 |  | Karamat, JehangirGeneral Jehangir Karamat NI(M) TBt (born 1941) | 12 January 1996 | 6 October 1998 | 2 years, 267 days | 13 Lancers |
| 07 |  | Musharraf, PervezGeneral Pervez Musharraf NI(M) TBt (1943–2023) | 6 October 1998 | 29 November 2007 | 9 years, 53 days | 16 (SP) (The Dashing Sixteen) |
| 08 |  | Kayani, Ashfaq ParvezGeneral Ashfaq Pervez Kayani NI(M)HI(C) (born 1952) | 29 November 2007 | 29 November 2013 | 6 years | 5 Baloch |
| 09 |  | Sharif, RaheelGeneral Raheel Sharif NI(M) HI(M) (born 1956) | 29 November 2013 | 29 November 2016 | 3 years | 6 FF |
| 10 |  | Bajwa, QamarGeneral Qamar Javed Bajwa NI(M) HI(M) (born 1960) | 29 November 2016 | 29 November 2022 | 6 years | 16 Baloch |
| 11 | | Munir, AsimField Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah NI(M) HJ HI(M) (born 1968) | 29 November 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 362 days | 23 FF |
How rare is the field marshal rank? Very. In Pakistan, a full general – denoted by four stars – is usually the standard rank for the army chief [...] Munir is only the second [Chief of Army Staff] – after Ayub Khan – to be promoted to field marshal.
