The prime minister will return to the country shortly and the process has been started. There is no room for guesswork: Minister of Defense
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif. PHOTO: APP/File
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif assured that the notification for the appointment of the Chief of Defense Forces would be issued soon and asked the public and the media to refrain from what he termed as “unnecessary and irresponsible speculation”.
In a post on
There is unnecessary and irresponsible speculation regarding the CDF notification. We inform you that the process has been started. PM will be back shortly. The notification will be issued in a timely manner. There is no room for guesswork. Period!
– Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) November 30, 2025
“There is unnecessary and irresponsible speculation regarding the CDF notification. Please note that the process has been initiated. The Prime Minister will return shortly. The notification will be issued in due course. There is no room for speculation. Period!” he wrote.
The CDF post was created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which also abolished the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee following the retirement of General Sahir Shamshad Mirza on November 27.
Parliament approved the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir to the newly created post, although the formal notification is yet to be issued.
The notification was initially 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 United Kingdom after undergoing medical examinations in London. He arrived a day early 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 another day. He was originally scheduled to complete his four-day private trip and return to Pakistan on Sunday, but will now depart for Islamabad from London on Monday afternoon.
