Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, was presented with a Tri-Services Guard of Honour at General Headquarters (GHQ) on Monday, marking the formal institution of the newly created appointment of COAS & CDF.
The ceremony was attended by Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of Naval Staff; Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, Chief of Air Staff; and senior military officers from all three services.
During his address to officers of the tri-services, the COAS & CDF paid tribute to the nation and the armed forces for their role in Marka-e-Haq.
He said the Marka-e-Haq showcased the “extraordinary courage and conviction displayed by the complete Pakistani nation, particularly the professionalism of the valiant men and women of the Armed Forces of Pakistan during Marka-e-Haq.”
He added that the Multi Domain Operations executed in the conflict “have now become a textbook example and case study for future warfare.” Field Marshal Munir also offered “deep homage to the martyrs who would always remain the pride of the nation.”
A new era of tri-services integration
Highlighting the evolving nature of modern warfare, the COAS & CDF stressed the importance of strengthened institutional coordination across the services. He said the Armed Forces must remain aligned with “the new realities of warfare which are now expanding to an exhaustive array of emerging technologies in cyber space, electro-magnetic spectrum, outer-space, Information Operations, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing.”
He termed the establishment of the new CDF Headquarters as “historic,” noting that it would provide “requisite integration, coherence and coordination to meet the dynamics of future threat spectrum under a tri-services umbrella.”
Honouring the heroes of Marka-e-Haq
In his closing remarks, Field Marshal Munir outlined a forward-looking vision for the military: “a culturally futuristic, combat-ready military machine that deters aggression and enjoys full confidence of the Nation.”
The ceremony also included the presentation of awards to Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force personnel for their acts of valour during Marka-e-Haq.
