The Prime Minister will soon return to the country and the process has been initiated. No room for conjecture: Minister of Defence
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif. PHOTO: APP/ File
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif assured that the announcement of the appointment of the chief of the defense forces will be issued soon, urging the public and the media to refrain from what he called “unnecessary and irresponsible speculation.”
In a post on X Sunday, Asif said the process of the notification had already begun and would be completed in due course, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was expected to return to the country soon.
There is unnecessary and irresponsible speculation about CDF announcement. Be aware that the process has begun. PM will return shortly. Notification will be given in good time. There is no room for conjecture. Period!
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) 30 November 2025
“There is unnecessary and irresponsible speculation about CDF notification. Please be informed that the process has been initiated. PM will return soon. Notification will be issued in good time. No room for any conjecture. Period!” he wrote.
The post of CDF was created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which also abolished the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee following the retirement of General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on 27 November.
Parliament has approved the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir to the newly established role, although the formal notification is yet to be issued.
The announcement was originally expected on November 29, coinciding with the expiration of Field Marshal Munir’s original three-year term as army chief, but the announcement did not materialize.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister – who was due to return on Saturday – has extended his stay in the UK after medical tests in London. He arrived a day earlier on a private visit and was received at Luton Airport by High Commissioner Dr. Faisal and local PML-N leaders.
Sources said Shehbaz Sharif underwent medical tests and decided to extend his visit by an extra day. He was originally scheduled to complete his four-day private tour and return to Pakistan on Sunday, but will now depart for Islamabad from London on Monday afternoon.
