PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan has felicitated Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for his elevation to the rank of field marshal, saying that he now had more responsibility to “make the situation better”.

Earlier this week, the government promoted Gen Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his “strategic leadership and decisive role” in defeating India during the military confrontation between the two countries that ended with a US-mediated ceasefire.

Field marshal is the highest rank in armies modelled after the British Army. In Pakistan, it was awarded only once before, to General Mohammad Ayub Khan in 1959.

Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail yesterday after meeting with incarcerated ex-premier Imran Khan, Gohar said: “A long time has passed. The PTI is a major party, Khan sahib is the most popular leader. We want these difficulties to end now.

“This is why I am saying that the [army chief] has gotten this new honour of field marshal. [We] have congratulated but after this new honour, there is an increased responsibility on him to play his role even more and make the situation better.”

Responding to a question, Gohar said that the PTI would issue a formal stance on the development. He added, “We have no strife with the military. Khan sahib also said yesterday that we stand with our armed forces and whoever is related to the armed forces will be uncontroversial.”

“Contacts have not been restored for now, but it is definitely our desire. Khan sahib has said that we never closed the door for talks with the establishment,” Gohar further said.

Gohar’s comments echoed those stated in a post on Imran’s X account, wherein the ex-PM said he was willing to speak to those who have power, in the best interest of the country.

Asked specifically about alleged intervention in politics, Gohar said, “We all say that the military should have no role in politics, […] and I say that whatever happens should be above politics.

“After all, it is a major institution. It has had an influence and remains, so I will request that whoever can play their role in making the situation better to do so,” the PTI leader added.

The elevation, first cleared by the federal cabinet and later communicated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to President Asif Ali Zardari, marks the first such promotion in over six decades.

The government also announced a second, open-ended extension in the tenure of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, making him the first Pakistan Air Force head to receive two extensions.

Gohar also spoke about India, saying that “an air of war was still lingering”.

He termed that the Pakistani forces had secured an “amazing victory, which India could not have even imagined”. “In my opinion, this war was even more serious than the 1965 or 1971 wars, because both countries are now nuclear powers,” he highlighted.

However, he cautioned the nation to remain united and alert against India’s “another such attempt and nefarious intentions”.

Implications for military hierarchy

A Ministry of Defence notification said that Gen Munir’s promotion to field marshal had been made under Rule 199A of the Army Regulations (Rules) 1998.

The rules are classified, but according to a military source, the mentioned rule reads: “199-A. Promotion to field marshal. A general officer, whether serving or retired, may be promoted to the rank of field marshal by the federal government without regard to seniority or any specific appointment.”

However, experts noted the silence of the Constitution and the Pakistan Army Act on such an appointment.

While the rank does not grant additional operational authority, its conferral during a period of heightened regional tension carries strategic and political symbolism. It may also bolster Field Marshal Munir’s standing both within the military and in political circles, particularly amid ongoing internal instability and civil-military friction.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, who previously headed the Senate defence committee, noted: “Field Marshal Asim Munir is now very much in the driving seat as the pivot of the power structure, more so, given the weakness and divisions amongst the civilian politicians. Even before May, which has become an inflection point for Pakistan, for India and for South Asia, all the mainstream political forces were convinced that the road to Islamabad lies through Rawalpindi.”

COAS Munir’s promotion is not expected to alter operational command but serves as a symbolic acknowledgement of his wartime leadership.

The global precedent supports this view. In India, Field Marshals Sam Manekshaw (1973) and K.M. Cariappa (1986) were promoted purely for ceremonial reasons, with no changes to the army’s structure. Similarly, in the United Kingdom and the United States, five-star titles have historically honoured extraordinary service during major wars without altering command frameworks.