Pakistan News: The clouds of uncertainty that have been going on for a long time regarding the appointment of the new army chief of Pakistan seem to be clearing now. The government announced on Wednesday that it has received names of several senior generals to replace the current general Qamar Javed Bajwa. Gen Bajwa (61) is due to retire on November 29 after an extension of three years. He has refused further extension in service.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) issued a brief statement on Twitter saying that the government has received the details from the Ministry of Defense for the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). According to the statement, the Prime Minister will decide on the appointment as part of the selection process. Along with this, the army has also confirmed sending the names of six top lieutenant generals for appointments.
These six names are being discussed
Although the army did not give information about those names, it is believed that Lt. Gen. Asim Munir (currently Quarter Master General), Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza (Commander 10 Corps), Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas (Chief of General Staff) The names of Lieutenant General Noman Mehmood (Chairman of the National Defense University), Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid (Commander Bahawalpur Corps) and Lieutenant General Mohammad Amir (Commander Gujranwala Corps) have been sent.
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PM Shahbaz Sharif will send the name to the President
Two of these will be selected by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for promotion and appointment to the posts of COAS and CJCSC before November 29. Sharif will send the summary to President Arif Alvi, who will approve the appointments. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had said on Monday that the process of appointing the next army chief would be completed by November 25.
The Defense Minister had said that the Prime Minister would take the military leadership into confidence, after which a decision would be taken. He had said, “I am hopeful that the appointment process will be completed by November 25.” Gen Bajwa visited the Navy and Air Force headquarters in Islamabad on Monday as part of his farewell tour. He also visited the Rawalpindi Corps Headquarters and paid floral tributes at the martyr’s memorial.
The post of army chief is important in Pakistan
There is a lot of discussion about the appointment of the army chief, but the post of the head of the ‘Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee’ (CJCS) is also to be appointed. Therefore, two lieutenant generals will be promoted as ‘four stars’ (they have four stars on the collar band of their uniform and are general rank officers).
The CJCS is the highest rank in the armed forces, but major powers, including the mobilization, appointments and transfers of troops, rest with the Chief of the Army Staff. That’s why the army chief is considered the most powerful in the army. Please tell that the army is considered very powerful in Pakistan. It has been 75 years since Pakistan came into existence and the country has been ruled by the army for more than half the time. The army has a lot of interference in security and foreign policy.