Dhaka, Dec. 5 -- Pakistan has appointed Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as the country's first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), further consolidating his authority at the top of the military hierarchy.

President Asif Ali Zardari approved Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recommendation to name Munir both chief of the army staff and chief of defence forces, the presidential office said in a post on X on Thursday. His tenure as CDF will last five years.

The position makes Munir the most powerful military figure in Pakistan, giving him authority not only over the Army, Navy and Air Force but also over the National Strategic Command, which manages the country's nuclear weapons and missile systems, effectively handing him control of Pakistan's "nu...