Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan’s cabinet on Tuesday promoted Syed Asim Munir, the country’s chief of army staff, to the on-site marshal after the country’s recent military conflict with India.

The brief and fierce confrontation caused South Asian neighbors to launch missiles and drones at each other in early May, which put South Asian neighbors on the brink of a fifth war.

U.S. President Donald Trump finally announced a ceasefire announced on May 10 that they returned their nuclear weapons neighbors from the edge after targeting each other’s military devices during a missile strike earlier in the day.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad have won in the conflict. The Pakistani government has reached a direct link between these conflicts and the decision to promote Munier.

So, why Munir was promoted, what does the rank of the marshal mean? What is the preposterization of the future of Pakistan’s military leadership and its role in the internal affairs of that country?

Why did Munier become the marshal on the scene?

Munir was promoted as “exemplary courage and determination” to recognize his leadership over the military and develop a strategy against Indian attacks, according to a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office.

"In recognition of his outstanding military leadership, courage and courage, ensuring Pakistan's sovereignty, territorial integrity and courage to defend against the enemy, the cabinet approved the Prime Minister's proposal to announce the promotion of General Said Asim Munir to the marshal," the statement said.

The Cabinet also awarded the second extension of the Air Chief, Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, the ship currently in his fourth year as Pakistan Air Force (PAF) after the previous extension.

State Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry told Al Jazeera that the decision to promote Munier was based on his leadership.

“The Pakistani army is involved in two sides, fighting the terrorist threats on our western border, during which time they also have to defend against our opponents on the eastern side, which has one of the largest armies in the world, but under Munir, our leadership is the most dangerous,” Chaudhry said.

How did Munier respond?

Munir said in a statement released by the Military Media Division (ISPR) that Munir was humbled by the honor and dedicated it to "the entire country, the armed forces of Pakistan, especially civil and military martyrs and veterans".

"This is not a personal honor, but a honor for the Pakistani armed forces and the entire country," he said.

The field marshal is the highest of the army that follows the tradition of the British army - the army of Pakistan and India.

How rare is the rank of marshal?

Very. In Pakistan, a full general represented by four stars is usually the standard rating of the Army Head and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), who convened all three of the heads of the services: Army, Navy and Air Force.

Although the role of CJCSC is open to any of the three branches, only Army Generals have held the position since 1997, and General Sahir Shamshad is currently in the current position.

Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has 17 Army Chiefs. Munir was the second of them after Ayub Khan and was promoted to the on-site marshal.

Ayub Khan became the chief of the army in 1951 and seized power in a military coup in 1958. A year later, he was promoted to the on-site marshal while appointing General Musa Khan as the new army chief.

"The Marshals in the wild have their own badges and their own curse to carry with them. The Marshals don't have to respond to the salute, but they just need to wave a stick to admit it."

Once awarded, the rank of the on-site marshal will be for life.

Does India also have a marshal ranking?

Yes, it is as rare in India as Pakistan. Since 1947, the Indian government has awarded the title of field marshal to two generals.

The first was General Sam Mannikshaw, who won the leadership of India in 1973 in the 1971 war against Pakistan, which led to the founding of Bangladesh.

"After the war, Manekshaw led their army in an exemplary manner, and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi awarded him the title. Although he retired from the position of Army Chief in 1973, he retained his dominance throughout his life and attended the official event in an official uniform."

The second is the first Kodandera M Cariappa to India's first post-independence army. He won the 1986 championship in his thirty years after his retirement.

Cariappa led Indian troops in the first war with Pakistan in 1947, before having been in British Indian troops such as Ayub Khan. In fact, Khan served under Cariappa in 1945, when they both sent Waziristan in today’s Pakistan.

How powerful is Pakistan's army?

Pakistan's military is considered the country's most powerful institution, with a deep influence in almost every social field. Since its independence in 1947, it has directly ruled the country for thirty years.

Army chiefs are widely regarded as Pakistan’s most powerful position and often cover up the elected civilian government. The military has long faced allegations of manipulating election results in support of favored candidates.

Munir’s predecessor General Javed Bajwa, admitted his military history of political intervention in his November 2022 farewell speech, but said the intervention was over.

But under Munir, the Pakistani military was accused by former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistani tehreek-e-insaaf party leaders, cutting the leaders of the group, including Khan. In Pakistan's 2024 general election, PTI claimed widespread rigging, even if the party's candidates (the ban on participating in a party running as independents) won more seats than any other party. Prime Minister Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) cooperated with the Bakistan Party and after it was established, the government was established.

Pakistan's government rejected allegations of rigging, and the military under Munier has been rejecting allegations of intervention in the country's civilian politics.

Meanwhile, the military has integrated itself into the country's economic affairs, co-chaired by Munir with the Special Investment Promotion Committee (SIFC) and Prime Minister Sharif, a senior agency created in 2023 to help investors bypass the barriers to bureaucracy.

Munir has been in charge of the military, but Pakistan's economy (in a serious crisis in 2022) has shown signs of recovery. Foreign reserves are now hovering above $10 billion, while inflation has dropped from 38% in May 2023 to 0.3% in April 2025, according to central bank data.

Although criticism from Khan and his supporters has masked the popularity of the army in recent years, the conflict with India has promoted the military's figure and votes show that its popularity has surged.

What does Munier's promotion mean to the army?

Experts say the rank of the on-site marshal is largely ritualistic and will not affect Munier's leadership in itself.

Munir, who has previously led the Military Intelligence and the Military Intelligence (ISI) of the country's premier Intelligence Agency (ISI), can continue to serve as the head of the Army until his term ends in November 2027.

Maria Rashid, a lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, believes that the possibility of a second semester is growing.

The promotion "almost certainly means that Asim Munir's tenure will be extended," she said.

Critics argue that promotion ultimately depends on political calculations by the government and the military.

Political analyst Cyril Almeida suggested that in the military's dominance over the political landscape, promotion is essentially the way Sharif strives to ensure his political survival by maintaining a good degree with Munir.

"It's also about making it clear that he is not, and will never be a threat, so there is no need to consider a replacement," Almeida told Al Jazeera.

Sharif first took office in April 2022 after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from a vote of distrust, blamed the conspiracy involving the military, the United States and its political rivals, although both the military and the United States have denied the claim.

A retired two-star general said anonymously that Munier's promotion could further consolidate military control over the country's affairs.

Sahar Khan, a Washington-based security analyst, agreed. She said further strengthening the military's influence on Pakistan's politics would "undermine the democratic qualifications that Pakistan has already damaged."

But Minister Chaudhry refused to criticize that promotion would further consolidate military control over the state and politics.

"People often politicize everything and use it for their own purposes. We fought, we won the war." He said, referring to the four-day conflict with India. “Those who are questioning the capabilities of the military and suggesting that the military is busy oppressing our own citizens are a response to them.

“Under Munir’s command, the army has shown their capabilities and how they work.”