Asim Munir takes charge as 17th army chief of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- General Asim Munir on Tuesday took charge as the 17th army chief of Pakistan in a ceremony held in the military's general headquarters in Rawalpindi in the country's eastern Punjab province.

The outgoing army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa handed over the baton of command to Munir in the ceremony witnessed by senior civil and military officers, diplomats and public officeholders.

Addressing the ceremony, Bajwa, who remained in the office for six years, hoped that the appointment of Munir would prove to be positive for both the country and the army.

Munir was appointed as the chief of army staff of the country on Thursday when President Arif Alvi approved Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's recommendation to select him for the office.

He will remain army chief for a term of three years, as per the country's constitution.

The new army chief was promoted to the rank of a three-star general in September 2018. He also remained the director general of Military Intelligence, and the Inter-Services Intelligence of the country.