Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah is an army general and the current Chief of Army Staff. A descendant of a religious and scholarly family, Asim is also known as the first army chief in the history of Pakistan to be a Hafiz Quran (memorized the entire Quran). He served as chief of both premier military intelligence agencies of Pakistan although his tenure at ISI was short-lived after a falling out with then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. He must navigate unprecedented national criticism of the army’s influence on Pakistan’s democracy as the country goes through turbulent times politically and economically.