Field Marshal (FM) is the five-star and highest rank in the Pakistan Army awarded by the Government of Pakistan to the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army in recognition of distinguished service. It is the highest rank in the Pakistan Armed Forces that ranks above General (Pakistan) of the Pakistan Army, Air Chief Marshal (Pakistan) of the Pakistan Air Force and Admiral (Pakistan) of the Pakistan Navy and below none. Although it is a current and authorized rank with a pay grade of “Apex Scale”, it has been used twice throughout its history, with only two field marshals being Ayub Khan & Asim Munir, who were promoted to the rank reportedly in 1959 and 2025. It comes with no additional powers and pay grade, but an honorary rank with a NATO’s equivalent rank code OF-10. It is equivalent to Admiral of the Fleet (Pakistan) in the Pakistan Navy and Marshal of the Air Force (Pakistan) in the Pakistan Air Force, and while it is an ordinarily senior rank in Pakistan army, it can be refer as five-star general “standard rank scale” to distinguish it from other military insignias.
Although a five-star field marshal assumes no additional power, but it could be a difficult task for government to combat the unconstitutional political movement,
History
Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has awarded the five-star rank of Field Marshal only twice—first to General Muhammad Ayub Khan.
The second instance occurred in May 2025, when Asim Munir—the current Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)—was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal to honor his leadership qualities in Operation Bunyan um Marsoos ,
