Explanation

He is the second Field Marshal after Ayub Khan. The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the promotion of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir to field marshal for his leadership in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos and the period of conflict against India known as Marka-i-Haq. He was formally promoted to the position with immediate effect in a notification from the Ministry of Defence under “Rule 199-A of the Pakistan Army Regulations (Rules), 1998”. The rank of field marshal is the highest rank of armies built on the pattern of the British Army. It has only been awarded to one other — General Mohammad Ayub Khan — by the presidential cabinet in 1959. It is a ceremonial five-star rank that usually signifies extraordinary leadership and wartime achievement. The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued today also said that the government unanimously decided to continue the services of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his term ends.