Army chief’s new tenure notified on August 19

ISLAMABAD: The notification for reappointment of General Qamar Javed Bajwa as Chief of the Army staff (COAS) for another tenure of three years has been issued.Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza has also been appointed Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) to replace General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, who is attaining superannuation next week. With the elevation, Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza will be promoted to the rank of four-star General and he will continue for the period of three years.Prime Minister Imran Khan made the appointment on Thursday with effect from 27th of this month.The notification for re-appointment of General Qamar Javed Bajwa as the COAS for another tenure has already been issued on August 19.The CJCSC is the highest position in the country’s armed forces. General Nadeem Raza, who is serving as the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) since earlier this year, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in December 2016 when he was serving as Commandant Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Kakul. Subsequently, he was made 10-Corps Commander housed in Rawalpindi.General Qamar Bajwa was set to retire on November 29 on completion of his three-year term.However, after the extension, he would serve as the army chief till November 2022.The development capped a week of civil-military huddles in which the prime minister met the army chief twice and once with ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed.Gen Bajwa had two meetings with the prime minister in less than a week. It was officially stated that matters related to national security were discussed.The prime minister also hailed the Pakistan Army’s efforts to defend the borders while also ensuring internal security and facilitating the ongoing socio-economic development.In Thursday’s meeting, the COAS briefed the prime minister about his just-concluded visit of Iran where he had meetings with the top leadership of that brotherly country.Earlier this week, the military spokesman refuted claims of an alleged divide between the civilian and military leadership, reiterating that both were on the same page.“This is baseless gossip. There is absolutely nothing of the sort,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor as he dismissed speculation that there was a lack of consensus between Prime Minister Imran Khan and COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa. “The army is supporting a democratically-elected government as per the Constitution. There will be no let-up in this (support) as it is a must for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.”Major General Asif Ghafoor had also sought to quell the assertions that the prime minister and COAS were not communicating as often as they were in the early days of the incumbent government.Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza also called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and expressed his thanks for reposing confidence in him. The prime minister also congratulated the general on his promotion.

from The News International - Top Story https://ift.tt/37olePX