New army chief named as strife with Khan deepens

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif named General Asim Munir as Pakistan’s next army chief, a choice that could harden former premier Imran Khan’s opposition to the government and stoke his high-stakes clash with the military. Khan, who as prime minister had removed Munir from the role of intelligence chief, would see the appointment as a possible obstacle to his attempt to force early elections. Khan had instead been seeking a snap poll that would allow the new government – presumably led by his party – to choose the army chief. The appointment is important because the institution wields outsize influence over the country’s politics, having directly ruled the nuclear-armed nation for about half of its history since its creation in 1947. Indication of Khan’s thinking could come as early as today.