- Lt Gen Azhar Abbas became a Second Lieutenant junior commissioned officer in June 1985.
- He remained the Private Secretary to Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif.
- Lt General Azhar Abbas was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) in 2018 for distinguished service.
Early Military Career
Azhar Abbas was commissioned in the 41st Battalion of the Baloch Regiment. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff Collage, Quetta, and National Defence University, Islamabad.
He became a Second Lieutenant junior commissioned officer in June 1985. He became a Lieutenant in October 1987 and was promoted to Captain in April 1992.
Azhar Abbas was promoted to Major in September 1997. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in December 2002 and was promoted to Colonel in April 2007.
Military Appointments
Azhar Abbas was promoted as Brigadier in September 2012 and Major General in February 2015.
He served as Commandant School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta from June 2018 to April 2019. He worked in Operations Directorate as a Brigadier and DG Joint Staff Headquarters Chaklala from April 2019 till September 2019.
He remained the Private Secretary to Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif. He commanded the GOC 12th Infantry Division in Murree from December 2016 to June 2018 where he was responsible for Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
Corps Commander
Azhar Abbas was promoted to three-star Lieutenant General in April 2019. He was appointed as Commander, Corps X, in Rawalpindi in September 2019 and served till September 2021. He took charge from Lt Gen Bilal Ahmed and was replaced by Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza.
He is considered highly experienced in Indian Affairs. It was during his time as corps commander that Pakistan and Indian armies reached an understanding to abide by the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LOC). Lt Gen Abbas was responsible for ensuring compliance on the agreement.
Chief of General Staff
Lt Gen Azhar Abbas is currently serving as 35th Chief of General Staff (CGS) of the Pakistan Army since September 2021. He replaced Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza.
The post of Chief of General Staff is considered one of the most influential position within the army. He is assigned operational and intelligence matters at the General Headquarters with directorates of Military Operations and Military Intelligence falling under his purview.
Lt General Azhar Abbas is one of the frontrunners when Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qammar Javed Bajwa retires in November 2022.
Awards
Lt General Azhar Abbas was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) in 2018 for distinguished service.
He has also been conferred Tamgha-e-Diffa (General Service Medal), Tamgha-e-Baqa, 1998, Tamgha-e-Istaqlal Pakistan in 2002, Tamgha-e-Azm in 2018, Jamhuriat Tamgha (Democracy Medal) 1988, Qarardad-e-Pakistan Tamgha (Resolution Day Golden Jubilee Medal), 1990, and Tamgha-e-Salgirah Pakistan (Independence Day Golden Jubilee Medal), 1997.
He was deployed twice in the UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara and received the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) Medal.
