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Pakistan on Thursday named Lieutenant-General Asim Munir as chief of the army.
Asim Munir, who was also Pakistan's chief spy, will take over from outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retires later this month after a six-year term, the defence ministry said.
The candidates were named by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Twitter — a tweet which was deleted and swiftly put up again — capping weeks of intense speculation on the matter.
In her tweet, Aurangzeb said the premier made the choice while exercising his constitutional authority.
Earlier on Wednesday, outgoing army chief Bajwa said the military would have no role in national politics in the future, rejecting as "fake and false" Imran Khan's claims that a US-backed conspiracy topped his government.
Imran Khan, who was wounded in a gun attack earlier this month during anti-government protests, has vowed to continue calling for early elections and plans to lead a protest on Saturday in Rawalpindi, home to the army's headquarters.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
