US Embassy felicitates new army chief, CJCSC

The United States Embassy in Islamabad on Friday congratulated the newly appointed Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.

The US reiterated its commitment to working with Pakistan’s elected leaders, military leadership, and a diverse range of civil society partners.

Read Who is country's new army chief Asim Munir?

It further hoped to advance shared interests in trade and investment, health security, climate change, inclusive governance, and regional security.

The announcement of the new appointments was made a day earlier by Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb following the special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz. Unlike in the past, the government did not wait for the president to sign the summary to announce the decision.

The announcement before the president gave his assent, appeared to be a deliberate move by the government in order to pre-empt any step by the president that might derail the process.

Read more PM, president meet newly-appointed top generals

The president instead of signing the summary took a special plane to meet Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Lahore. For a moment it felt like the country might be heading for another crisis as rumours spread that the president might not sign the summary straightaway.

However, all those speculations were short-lived as the president within hours signed the summary to approve both appointments.

General Munir will end the six-year-long tenure of General Qamar Javed Bajwa while General Mirza will replace General Nadeem Raza for the most senior position in the military but considered ceremonial.