Pak Assembly amends army law, Munir to lead all forces

Pakistan's National Assembly on Thursday amended the army law, paving the way for the appointment of Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir as the coup-prone country's first Chief of Defence Forces.

The development comes as President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday gave his assent to the controversial 27th Constitutional Amendment, making it part of the Constitution.

The purpose of the changes in the Army Act was to align the armed forces laws with the latest Constitutional Amendment, said a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

Speaking in the National Assembly after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif presented the bill to amend the Army Act, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said, "The change in the Army Act is that the current Chief of Army Staff will concurrently be the Chief of Defence Forces." He added that the CDF's term would be five years from the date of his appointment.