Space Travel News
THE STANS
Pakistan's Asim Munir: top soldier with lifetime immunity

Pakistan's Asim Munir: top soldier with lifetime immunity

by AFP Staff Writers
Islamabad, Pakistan (AFP) Nov 15, 2025

Field Marshal Asim Munir has emerged as Pakistan's most powerful military leader, analysts say, after a constitutional amendment expanded his powers and gave him lifelong rank and immunity.

The amendment enacted Thursday consolidates military power under a new role, chief of defence forces, who commands Pakistan's army, navy and air force.

It also gives Munir lifelong immunity from criminal proceedings, potentially awarding him unchecked powers.

Munir became army chief in November 2022 after serving in senior positions including as quartermaster general and Corps Commander Gujranwala.

He was also head of the Military Intelligence and later of Pakistan's powerful spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence.

In 2019, he was removed as intelligence chief just eight months into his stint, under then-prime minister Imran Khan and for reasons that have never been made public.

Munir's fortunes changed after lawmakers ousted Khan. The ensuing Shehbaz Sharif government gave him charge of the military.

In May this year, following a four-day clash with India, Munir was promoted to field marshal.

"We achieved a historic victory," Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told parliament this week, saying "everyone appreciated General Asim Munir" for it.

"India challenged our territorial sovereignty. The whole nation supported the armed forces and the government at that time," he said.

But Aqil Shah, author and professor at Georgetown University, said the conflict "was dominated by air combat, not land-based operations" which are typically associated with field marshal honours.

- 'Most powerful man' -

"This is a case of 'autocratic legalism'," Shah told AFP. "In no other democracy is the army chief of staff the designated joint service chief."

Shah said that the change granting Munir immunity from prosecution "makes redundant Article 6 of the constitution, which criminalises military coups".

AFP has contacted a spokesman for the Pakistani military for comment.

"Field Marshal Asim Munir has become the most powerful man in Pakistan," said defence analyst Naeem Khalid Lodhi, a retired lieutenant general.

"The politicians are responsible for making him even more powerful. For their short-term interests, they have put Pakistan's long-term interests at stake," he told AFP.

A coalition of parties considered pliable to the powerful military formed a government after Pakistan's February 2024 elections, in which Khan -- the nation's most popular politician -- was jailed and barred from running.

Shuja Nawaz, an author and expert on South Asia, sees the amendment vote as a survival strategy.

Politicians "renewed their insurance policy," he said.

"Munir's five-year term will outlast theirs, and they expect his support when elections come."

To Lodhi, "the constitution governs the affairs of the state, and only a genuinely representative government can amend it."

- Need for stability -

Nawaz said Munir now "probably has as much power" as the late military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in 1999.

"Like Musharraf, he has a subservient prime minister and the authority to reshape the army's structure," he said.

Nawaz noted that Munir, in his new role as chief of defence forces, can also overhaul military command and "modernise the force".

The lifetime rank was not unusual and follows British tradition, Nawaz added.

"Field marshals don't retire. They may leave a post, but they remain field marshal for life," he said.

Munir has already scored some diplomatic wins, including a private lunch with US President Donald Trump.

But, Nawaz warned, "Trump is unpredictable, and India remains a bigger draw for Washington.

"Pakistan's future lies in a strong economy and stable political system -- neither of which it has right now."

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
THE STANS
Pakistan grants lifetime immunity to president, current army chief
Islamabad, Pakistan (AFP) Nov 13, 2025
Pakistan's parliament approved a sweeping constitutional amendment on Thursday granting lifetime immunity to the president as well as the current army chief, a move critics warned would erode democratic checks and judicial independence. The 27th amendment, passed by a two-thirds majority, also consolidates military power under a new Chief of Defence Forces role and establishes a Federal Constitutional Court. The changes grant army chief Asim Munir, promoted to field marshal after Pakistan's clas ... read more

THE STANS
THE STANS
Dust and Sand Movements Reshape Martian Slopes

NASA's ESCAPADE mission to Mars - twin UC Berkeley satellites dubbed Blue and Gold - will launch in early November

Yeast demonstrates survival skills under Mars conditions

Are there living microbes on Mars? Check the ice

THE STANS
Cislune Partners with UCF on Simulation to Improve Decision-Making for Future Lunar Missions

Japan launches initiative for lunar construction technology

SpaceX steps up planning for NASA lunar lander

NASA rejects Kardashian's claim Moon landing 'didn't happen'

THE STANS
Could these wacky warm Jupiters help astronomers solve the planet formation puzzle?

Out-of-this-world ice geysers on Saturn's Enceladus

3 Questions: How a new mission to Uranus could be just around the corner

A New Model of Water in Jupiter's Atmosphere

THE STANS
3I/ATLAS Highlights Scale and Significance of Interstellar Objects Passing Through the Solar System

New study revises our picture of the most common planets in the galaxy

Closest-ever view of planet-forming disk captured around distant star

Ageing stars found to destroy nearby giant planets

THE STANS
Blue Origin's New Glenn Nails First Ocean Booster Landing

Space Systems Command advances New Glenn certification after latest launch

LandSpace prepares reusable ZQ 3 rocket for first launch after major tests in China

Atlas 5 rocket launches U.S. communications satellite

THE STANS
Tiangong hosts dual crews after debris impact delays Shenzhou-20 return

Chinese astronauts use upgraded oven to barbecue chicken wings and steaks aboard space station

China unveils 2026 mission for next generation crewed spaceship

China sends youngest astronaut, mice to space station

THE STANS
Largest modern crater identified in Chinas Holocene geology

Halloween fireballs could signal increased risk of cosmic impact or airburst in 2032 and 2036

Southern Taurid meteor shower to peak this week with bright fireballs

Europe advances asteroid defense as GomSpace secures operational support contract

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.