The new commander will succeed outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who will step down later this month after serving a six-year term

Photo Credit : @MalikMIslamPMLN/Twitter,

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif named Lieutenant-General Asim Munir as the new commander of the country's army on Thursday, the information minister announced on Twitter.

Pakistan's army has more than 5 lakh active personnel and comes in the top 10 strong armies in the world. 

The new commander will succeed outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who will step down later this month after serving a six-year term. He was appointed in 2016, but after three years, the then-government of Imran Khan extended his service for another three years in 2019.

Earlier, Bajwa denied one another extension as army chief when former PM Imran Khan said to be in favour of an extension. 

Bajwa is set to retire on 29 November and a successor is elected by Shehbaz Sharif, the legal authority to appoint the army chief.