Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in the context of "National Guard (Pakistan)"

The Pakistan Armed Forces (Urdu: پاکستان مسلح افواج; pronounced [ˈpɑːkˌɪstaːn mʊˈsəlˌle(ɦ) əfˈwɑːd͡ʒ]) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's seventh-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backed by several paramilitary forces such as the National Guard and the Civil Armed Forces. As of the 2025 reforms, the highest-ranking military officer is the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), who also serves concurrently as Chief of Army Staff (COAS), holding principal command authority over all three branches and overseeing war strategy, operations, joint force development, and resource allocation. The office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) has been abolished, and many prior responsibilities are now assumed by the CDF, streamlining military command and accelerating decision-making.

A pivotal part of the 2025 reforms is the formation of the position of Commander of National Strategic Command (CNSC), a four-star army general appointed by the Prime Minister upon the CDF’s recommendation and is responsible for Pakistan’s nuclear and strategic assets. The Strategic Plans Division remains crucial, managing nuclear policy of Pakistan and national deterrent under the CNSC’s supervision. The President of Pakistan is the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. All branches of Pakistan Armed Forces are now coordinated through the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), who directs strategic planning, resource allocation, and joint military operations, with the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ) being reorganised to support integrated command across all services from the Joint Staff Headquarters (JSHQ).

The Pakistan Day Parade, also known as the National Day Joint Services Parade, is an annual event held at Shakarparian in Islamabad to commemorate the Pakistan Day, marking the anniversary of the 1940 Lahore Resolution. The parade is presided over by the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, alongside the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Foreign dignitaries often attend as special guests. The event is organised by Joint Staff Headquarters and showcases the country's military strength and national unity.

Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani politician and a military officer who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. He overthrew Nawaz Sharif's government in the 1999 coup d'état and proclaimed himself the chief executive of Pakistan, under martial law.

Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as the chief of Army Staff and, later, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1998. He was the leading architect of the Kargil War between India and Pakistan in 1999. When prime minister Nawaz unsuccessfully attempted to dismiss general Musharraf, after the war, from his command assignments, the Army GHQ took over the control of the civilian government, which allowed him to control the military and the civilian government.

The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) is a statutory office and the highest-ranking military position within the Pakistan Armed Forces, held ex officio by the Chief of the Army Staff. The post was established under the 27th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, which amended Article 243 to replace the long-standing role of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) with a single, unified command position.

The creation of the CDF abolishes the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and introduces a unified command structure across the armed services. Under the new constitutional framework, the CDF is appointed by the President of Pakistan on the advice of the Prime Minister.