Asim Munir Seeks Iron-clad Control over Pakistan with Amendment
Pakistan promoted General Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal. (Image X)
Pakistani experts cautioned that absolute chaos is in store if the Article 243 amendment, authored by Asim Munir, is accepted.
By TRH Foreign Affairs Desk
New Delhi, November 9, 2025 — Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir’s bid to seek supreme military power has triggered concerns of impending chaos in the Islamic nations. On his instructions, the Pakistani Cabinet gave its nod to a Constitution amendment to Article 243 that deals with the affairs of the appointment in the Pakistani military forces. Pakistani experts cautioned that an absolute chaos is in store in the country if the amendment is accepted.
Baqir Sajjad, a Pakistani journalist, in a thread on X, stated that “amendment to Article 243 on military appointments overhaul marks a leap toward military centralization, recasting the Army Chief as Chief of Defence Forces with command over all services.”
While Munir has taken over the position of a Field Marshal, experts in Pakistan cautioned that the amendment will make even a four-star general superior to his counterparts in the Air Force and the Navy. Munir will also gain absolute control over the nuclear command, clipping the significance of the civilian leadership.
“Army Chief will gain constitutional supremacy over Navy & Air Force. New ‘Commander of National Strategic Command’ puts nuclear assets firmly under Army control potentially weakening civilian oversight,” wrote Sajjad, while quoting from a report published in Pakistani daily Dawn.
He warned that the fear of erosion of Air Force and Navy autonomy is a big concern in the strategic establishment of Pakistan. “Inter-service competition could turn into friction,” he warned, quoting retired Pakistani military experts.
Sajjad also stated that “the amendment could entrench uniformed supremacy in the Constitution by transforming Article 243 from a pillar of civilian command into a charter of military dominance.”
Former Defence Secretary of Pakistan Lt. Gen. (Retd) Asif Yasin Malik told Dawn: “The proposed system invites institutional imbalance and potential disaster.” The daily also quoted Shireen Mazari, another security expert, saying that “the new setup could lead to command and control problems and festering resentments within smaller services.”
Mazari also wondered “what if there is a Marshal of Air Force or Admiral of Fleet while COAS is a four-star general — will they then be under a four-star Army officer if latter is CDF? Too much has been left to ad hoc and arbitrary decisions.”
Muhammad Faisal, a doctoral scholar at the University of Technology in Sydney, told Dawn that “the amendment may be only the first phase of a wider reorganization, with further legal changes to follow.”
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