Last week, Munir was promoted to the position of field marshal, making him the only active chief of army staff in Pakistan’s history to earn the rank. “I am deeply thankful to Allah Almighty for this honor,” Munir said in a statement .

Pakistani Army chief Syed Asim Munir, widely considered the most powerful person in his country’s government, is now at the peak of his career. This month’s fighting with India, which brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of a full-fledged war, burnished his reputation (not least because it ended with Washington offering to help resolve the Kashmir conflict, much to the irritation of policymakers in New Delhi).

Pakistani Army chief Syed Asim Munir, widely considered the most powerful person in his country’s government, is now at the peak of his career. This month’s fighting with India, which brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of a full-fledged war, burnished his reputation (not least because it ended with Washington offering to help resolve the Kashmir conflict, much to the irritation of policymakers in New Delhi).

Last week, Munir was promoted to the position of field marshal, making him the only active chief of army staff in Pakistan’s history to earn the rank. “I am deeply thankful to Allah Almighty for this honor,” Munir said in a statement.

The promotion culminates a turnaround in Munir’s public reputation. It’s not just that Munir was a cultural outsider to Pakistan’s military establishment, with his personal religiosity as a devout Muslim setting him apart from an army that has long been soci