Pakistan, May 21 -- In the annals of Pakistan's military history, titles are seldom handed out. Rather, they are earned in crucibles. Yesterday, in a move as symbolic as it is strategic, Pakistan's federal cabinet approved the elevation of Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir to Field Marshal.

It is only the second time in the country's history that such a title has been awarded. The first was in 1959, when General Ayub Khan assumed it in the aftermath of a self-declared martial law. The difference this time? The title did not fall into the beneficiary's lap through political overreach but was awarded through operational excellence.

The move follows Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, Pakistan's carefully calibrated military response to...