- Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad MIrza commanded the 40th Infantry Division in Dera Ismail Khan from February 2015 to September 2015.
- He was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) in 2018 for distinguished service.
- He is currently serving as Commander Corps X in Rawalpindi.
Early Military Career
Sahir Shamshad Mirza was commissioned in the 8th Battalion of the Sindh Regiment. He belongs to district Chakwal, Punjab. He is a graduate of the National Defence University.
He became a Second Lieutenant junior commissioned officer in October 1985. He became a Lieutenant in October 1988 and was promoted to Captain in 1991.
Sahir Shamshad Mirza was promoted to the rank of Major in May 1996. He became a Lieutenant Colonel in April 2001 and a Colonel in April 2001.
Military Appointments
He gradually rose to higher military ranks and was promoted to Brigadier in September 2012 and Major General in February 2015.
As a two-star general, he commanded the 40th Infantry Division in Dera Ismail Khan from February 2015 to September 2015. The division has now moved to Okara. He was succeeded by Major General Abid Mumtaz.
He served as Vice Chief of General Staff – Alpha from October 2018 to June 2019 until he was succeeded by Maj Gen Muhammad Asim Malik.
Sahir Shamshad Mirza served as Adjutant General from June 2019 to November 2019. He took command from Lt Gen Faiz Hameed and was succeeded by Lt Gen Muhammad Aamer.
Director General Military Operations
Sahir Shamshad Mirza come to prominence when he served as Director General Military Operations (DGMO) from September 2015 to October 2018 during the last two years of Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif’s tenure.
He was part of Gen Raheel Sharif’s core team at General Headquarters (GHQ) which supervised the military operation in North Waziristan against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
He was involved in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) involving Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and the United States that brokered intra-Afghan talks.
He was also a member of the Sartaj Aziz-led committee on Gilgit-Baltistan reforms. He was succeeded by Maj Gen Nauman Zakaria.
Chief of General Staff
After his promotion to the three-star rank in October 2019, he was appointed the 34th Chief of General Staff. He was closely engaged in crucial decision-making related to national security. He was succeeded by Lt Gen Azhar Abbas.
The post of Chief of General Staff is considered highly influential position within the army. He is assigned operational and intelligence matters at GHQ with directorates of Military Operations and Military Intelligence falling under his purview.
Corps Commander
Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza is currently serving as Commander Corps X in Rawalpindi. He was appointed to the post on 8 September 2021.
He is the frontrunner for the next Chief of Army Staff (COAS) or Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC) when the tenure of General Qammar Javed Bajwa and General Nadeem Raza ends respectively.
Awards
Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) in 2018 for distinguished service.
He has also been conferred the Tamgha-e-Diffa (General Service Medal), Tamgha-e-Baqa in 1998, Tamgha-e-Istaqlal Pakistan, 2002, Tamgha-e-Azm, 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 Observer Mission in Sierra Leone and received the UNOMSIL Medal.
