Pakistan names army chief
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan named Lieutenant-General Asim Munir on Thursday as chief of its army, an organisation that plays a hugely influential role in the governance of the nucleararmed nation. His appointment coincides with a dispute between the military and former prime minister Imran Khan, who blames the army for playing a part in his ouster earlier this year and who has been leading antigovernment protests since then.
Munir is the son of a schoolteacher who grew up in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, former military officials say. He received a prestigious award for officers known as the ‘sword of honour’ as top of his year at the military academy, an official told Reuters.
In a country where the military has long played an outsized role in politics, Mr Munir served in an area disputed with India that borders China and also in Saudi Arabia, a major financial supporter of Pakistan. Munir later served as chief of Pakistan’s two most influential intelligence agencies — first Military Intelligence (MI) in 2017 and then the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2018. He was removed as ISI chief after just eight months on the request of then-prime minister Imran Khan. No reason was given for his removal.
Mr Munir is presently serving as the army’s quartermaster general, in charge of supplies. He is also the most senior ranking general after the man he replaces as head of the armed forces, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Mr Anwar and said Americans looked forward to deepening the two nations’ friendship and cooperation based on shared democratic principles and respect for human rights and the rule of law.
“We remain committed to working with Malaysia to advance a free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient Indo-Pacific region,” Mr Blinken said in a statement.
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