CJCSC, COAS appointments: Brief profile of six senior-most army officers

The process of appointing the new chairman joint chief of staff committee (CJCSC) and the chief of army staff (COAS) has begun as the PM House has received the summary of the names of the six senior-most Pakistan Army officers.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Nadeem Raza and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa will retire on November 27 and 29, respectively.

Here is the brief profile of the candidates, who have been recommended for appointment to the higher ranks of the Pakitan Army.

Lieutenant General Asim Munir

Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir is the senior most officer after outgoing Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and is currently serving as Quartermaster General in the Pakistan Army.

Lt-Gen Munir entered the service via the Officers Training School (OTS) programme in Mangla and was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Frontier Force Regiment.

He was appointed DG of the Military Intelligence in early 2017 and then ISI Director General in October 2018.

Lt-Gen Munir is the recipient of the Sword of Honour from the 17th course of the Officers Training School in Mangla. Also, he is the recipient of the Hilal-i-Imtiaz.

Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza

Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza is a three-star general in the Pakistan Army who is currently serving as a commander for Rawalpindi Corps.

The recipient of Hilala-e-Imtiaz (Military) has served in senior leadership positions in his career, including director-general military operations (DGMO), Chief of General Staff, and Adjutant General at the General Headquarters.

Mirza was commissioned in the 8th Battalion of the Sind Regiment as second lieutenant in 1985. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 2019.

Lt Gen Azhar Abbas

Lt Gen Abbas is a three-star ranking general in the Pakistan Army and has been serving as the 35th Chief of General Staff (CGS) since September 8, 2021.

As Chief of General Staff, Lt Gen Abbas is responsible for operational and intelligence matters at the GHQ in Rawalpindi. Abbas was commissioned in the 41st Battalion of Baloch Regiment.

Lt Gen Nauman Mehmood

Lt Gen Nauman Mehmood is currently president of the National Defence University (NDU). He has served as chief instructor at the Command and Staff College, Quetta.

In 2019, he was promoted as three-star general and was appointed Corps Commander Peshawar where he oversaw security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and its fencing at a time when the US withdrew its forces.

In November 2021, he handed over command of the XI Corps to Lt-Gen Faiz Hamid.

Lt Gen Faiz Hameed

Lt Gen Faiz Hameed belongs to Baloch Regiment and is currently serving as Bahawalpur Corps Commander. Previously, he served as commander of the Peshawar Corps for less than a year.

Faiz Hameed had served in the spy agency for two-and-a-half years before being promoted to the rank of Lt Gen. He was appointed as ISI head at a crucial time due to several external and internal security challenges.

Lt Gen Mohammad Amir

Lt Gen Mohammad Amir belongs to the Artillery Regiment and is, at present, commanding the XXX Corps in Gujranwala.

Previously, he was adjutant-general at the GHQ. As major-general, he headed the 10 Infantry Division stationed in Lahore from 2017-18.