Asim Munir promoted to field marshal

Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir has been promoted to the position of Field Marshal, the highest military rank in the country.

According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Prime Minister's office, the Union Cabinet of the country on Tuesday approved the proposal to promote Munir as Field Marshal. 

The Union Cabinet met to discuss Munir's promotion in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The promotion is the first since Pakistani dictator General Ayub Khan made himself a field marshal in 1965.
With the new ceremonial rank, Munir will remain the army chief.

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 military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as tensions over last month’s Pahalgam attack continued to build up. 

On the night of 6-7 May, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir, resulting in civilian casualties. Islamabad responded by downing five Indian jets.

After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on 10 May, when tensions between the two countries peaked, for both sides to finally drop their guns as a ceasefire was reached.