 "Pakistan Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir got his daughter married to his nephew. File Photo/AFP")
Wedding bells recently rang in Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s residence. The Chief of Defence Force (CDF) reportedly arranged his daughter’s wedding to his nephew.
Munir has become Pakistan’s most powerful man after he was appointed as the country’s first CDF earlier this month. The Chief of Army Staff’s decision to get his daughter married to his nephew sends a bigger message than just a regular ceremony.
We take a look.
Munir’s daughter marries her cousin
Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s daughter, Mahnoor, reportedly tied the knot with her cousin, Abdul Rahman, on December 26.
Munir has four daughters and Mahnoor is the third one.
As per a News18 report, the wedding ceremony took place at Munir’s residence, located near the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Many high-profile guests marked their presence at the ceremony, such as Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Asim Malik and other top generals of the Pakistani army.
There are also unconfirmed reports that United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was among the more than 400 guests who attended the event.
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View AllThe wedding ceremony was largely kept away from the public eye, with no photographs released.
Pakistani journalist Zahid Gishkori, in a now-deleted video on X, confirmed the reports of Munir’s daughter’s wedding. “I have information from reliable sources that the UAE President was not present. However, more than 400 guests attended the wedding, and the function was kept very secret due to security reasons,” he said.
Who is Abdul Rehman?
The groom, Abdul Rehman, is the son of Asim Munir’s brother, Qasim Munir, and the first cousin of Mahnoor.
Rehman previously served as a captain in the Pakistan Army. Later, he joined the Civil Services and is currently working as an Assistant Commissioner under the quota reserved for army officers, reported News18.
What the wedding means
Asim Munir ’s daughter’s wedding to her cousin is being seen as an attempt by Pakistan’s army chief at clan consolidation.
Indian agencies perceive it as a signal to Pakistan ’s domestic rivals that political power is subservient to the Army’s GHQ, reported News18.
If the UAE president was indeed present at the ceremony, it is seen as a display of the Gulf’s continued support for Pakistan’s military leadership. An invitation to the UAE’s leader is Munir’s attempt to secure financial, diplomatic, and strategic reassurance from Abu Dhabi.
Moreover, the wedding ceremony being organised at Munir’s official residence at General Headquarters instead of a hotel or marriage hall signals that the CDF is using the country’s property for personal reasons.
With inputs from agencies