Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir has been promoted to the rank of field marshal, the prime minister's office said in a statement, the first time in almost 60 years that a general has been elevated to the role.
His promotion, which was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, comes days after the country's worst military conflict with India in nearly three decades.
It came "in recognition of the strategic brilliance and courageous leadership that ensured national security and decisively defeated the enemy," Sharif said in a statement from his office.
"This honour is not mine alone; it belongs to the entire nation and the Pakistan armed forces — especially our civil and military martyrs, and our veterans," a statement from the army quoted Munir as saying.
"This is not just an individual recognition but a tribute to the entire nation and its armed forces," he added.
The promotion is the first since General Ayub Khan made himself a field marshal in 1965.
Any confirmed jet downing would not only dent New Delhi’s military prestige, but also signal its miscalculation in assessing Pakistan’s upgraded aerial strength.
The cabinet also decided to extend the service of Pakistan Air Force chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu after his service term expires, the PM's office said.
It did not say for how long Sidhu's job would be extended, nor did it say whether Munir's promotion to the rank of field marshal will mean that he has no retirement date.
Munir started his job as the army chief in November 2022.
A parliamentary legal amendment extended Munir's term to five years in November 2023, from the usual three years for the role of army chief.
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