ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday that the process for appointing the first Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) was underway, breaking the government`s silence after days of speculation triggered by an unexplained delay in issuing the notification.

`The process for the notification of CDF has been initiated ...

Notification will be issued in due course of time,` Asif wrote on X.The CDF post was created under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which amended Article 243 and restructured the country`s higher defense organization. The new top position, to be held by the army chief, would replace the nowabolished office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, which ceased to exist on Nov 27 after nearly five decades.

Minister Asif`s statement confirmed that a fresh notification was required, but instead of calming the political storm, it left several critical questions unanswered.

Controversy erupted when the government did not immediately notify the appointment of Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir asthe country`s first CDF, a transition mandated by the constitutional amendment and related changes to service laws.

Speculation intensified when Nov 29, the date marking the completion of Field Marshal Munir`s original three-year term as army chief prior to last year`s amendment that extended his tenure to five years, passed. Such speculations rose because by this time the CDF`s notification should have been issued. Observers described the delay in CDF`s notification as `baffling`, noting that it has signalled to the opposition that something may be amiss in civil-military relations. The government has offered no clear explanation for the hold-up, and analysts say the issue appears to be more than a routine procedural lag.

The absence of PM Shehbaz, currently in the UK, has further fed speculation. One of his aides said the prime minister was scheduled to return to Pakistan on Monday. An analyst, who had previously worked with Sharif, said it was unlikely the PM would have allowed such a sensitive matter to drift, given his reputation for caution in handling civil-military issues.