Maj Gen Zia-ur-Rehman appointed as force commander of UN mission

NEW YORK: Major General Zia-ur-Rehman of Pakistan Army has been appointed as Force Commander of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday.

The appointment was made by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

According to UN’s press release, Maj Gen Rehman succeeds Maj Gen Xiaojun Wang of China, whose tour of duty ended on Feb 17.

“The secretary-general is grateful to Major General Wang for his exemplary service and contribution to the work of MINURSO,” read the release.

Maj Gen Rehman has 30 years of national and international military leadership experience, including as commander of military formations on operations and directing staff appointments at command, staff and war college levels.

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He possesses a range of experiences in other leadership roles, including as a military observer in the then United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

From 2015 to 2016, he served as senior national representative in the United States Central Command Headquarters (CENTCOM) in Florida.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Canadian School of Management Institute of Graduate Studies in Lahore, a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from the University of Balochistan in Quetta, a Master of Science degree from the Command and Staff College in Quetta, a Master of Science (Hons) and a Master of Philosophy degree from the National Defence University, Islamabad.