A Question of Command

After the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director, General Maj General Babar Iftikhar announced at a press conference earlier this month that the incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa “is neither seeking, nor will accept an extension [of tenure]” after the expiry of his term on November 29, as per Standard Operating Procedure, the Prime Minister will have to appoint the next Chief of Army Staff.

Not only will a new COAS take his seat in November, a new Chairman, Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC) is to be appointed at the same time as well. It is expected that these coveted positions are to be filled by two of the senior-most serving Lieutenant Generals of the Pakistan Army.

Theoretically, the CJCSC has to be the senior-most four-star officer from any of the three services — the army, navy or air force. However, since the establishment of the National Command Authority (NCA), the army has a bigger claim over the post  because it wields control of the key areas of the country’s nuclear command and strategic assets.

The CJCSC is the Deputy Chairman of the NCA’s Deployment Committee, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Former Defence Secretary, Lt. General (Retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi told Bol News that the process of appointment for COAS and CJCSC begins with the Prime Minister asking the General Headquarters (GHQ), via the Defence Ministry, for the personal dossiers of the top three Lieutenant Generals in order of seniority. The dossiers mention the eligibility of the candidates and the service record of each. According to the Defence Secretary, the outgoing COAS gives no written recommendation vis a vis his replacement. The only person entitled to make a recommendation as per procedure, is the Defence Minister.

“The PM has full powers to select any one of the three officers first shortlisted, or he may ask the COAS/GHQ for two to three more names that could be considered. They have to comply with the PM’s request, and send the names of the three next senior-most three-star generals, along with their service records.” Following this, the PM is bound to select a name from the two lists, said General Lodhi. He added that the choice of candidate is entirely the prerogative of the PM, and once he has chosen, the Prime Minister engages in a one-on-one consultation with the army chief about other prospective candidates.

According to Gen. Lodhi, the entire process usually takes less than a week, and the matter has to be finalised before the retirement of the serving two top generals.

It is worth noting that after Gen. Musharraf, only Gen. Zubair Hayat from the Artillery was promoted to  the four-star post. The rest of the four-star generals in the army — Gen.  Tariq Majid, Gen. Khalid Shamim Wyne, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Gen. Rashad Mehmood and Gen. Raheel Sharif were from the Infantry, mainly due to the army’s engagement with the ‘war on terrorism.’ And of the generals who made it to the post of army chief, four were from the Infantry’s Baloch Regiment, namely Gen. Yahya Khan, Gen. Aslam Beg, Gen. Kayani and Gen. Bajwa.

In November, after the retirement of COAS Gen. Bajwa and CJCSC Gen. Nadeem Raza, the top four Lt. Generals in the army will be Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas, Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood Raja and Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed. It is interesting to note that all of the four top contenders were promoted from Major General to Lieutenant General in 2019. Lt. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza will be the senior-most serving officer in the Pakistan Army after Bajwa’s retirement. Commander of the X Corps in Rawalpindi since September 2021, he was commissioned in 1987 into the 8th battalion of the Sind Regiment, an Infantry unit. The General will be in the running for both the post of CJCSC as well as COAS.

Belonging to Mulhal Mughlan in the Punjab’s District Chakwal, Gen. Mirza has served as Chief of General Staff (CGS) to incumbent COAS Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi.

Prior to that, Gen. Mirza served as Adjutant General and as a two-star general, and held important posts, including that of Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and Vice Chief of General Staff. The senior-most general has also commanded the 40 Infantry Division in Dera Ismail Khan.

Second in the seniority list is the incumbent Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas.

The post of CGS is considered the most influential position within the army after that of army chief. The CGS is assigned operational and intelligence matters at the General Headquarters, with the directorates of Military Operations and Military Intelligence falling under his purview.

Historically, of the last 17 four-star generals, 11 had served as Chief of General Staff (CGS). Interestingly, Pakistan’s last five Chairmen, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, have previously also held the post of CGS.

Before being appointed as CGS, Lt. Gen. Azhar Abbas was serving as Commander Rawalpindi Corps. The General has served as DG Joint Staff at JSHQ Chaklala, Rawalpindi. Besides, he has also served as personal secretary to former army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif. Gen Azhar Abbas has also commanded the 12 Infantry Division in Murree as General Officer Commanding (GOC).

Additionally, Gen. Azhar has served as Commandant, School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta. He was commissioned in the army in June 1985 in the 41st Battalion of the Baloch Regiment, the same regiment as Gen. Bajwa’s. Moreover, he has commanded a division in Murree and as a brigadier, served in the Operations Directorate.

He was commander of the X Corps from September 2019 to September 2021. This is seen as a key division of the army since it is responsible for security along the Line of Control (LoC) with India.

Third in the seniority list will be incumbent President National Defence University (NDU), Lt. Gen. Nauman Mahmood Raja.

Belonging to Adhwal, Rawalpindi, Lt. Gen. Nauman M. Raja has served as Corps Commander Peshawar and Inspector General Communications and IT. As a two-star general (major general), Gen Numan has served in the ISI as the DG Analysis. He has also  served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) in Miranshah. He was commissioned into an Infantry battalion of the Baloch Regiment in 1987.

Fourth in the seniority list is the incumbent Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, also from the Baloch Regiment.

Belonging to Latifal, Chakwal, Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed has served as DG ISI and Adjutant General at the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi. As a major general, General Hameed has commanded the Pano Aqil Infantry Division, besides serving as DG Counter Intelligence/ Internal Security at the ISI.

As a brigadier, General Hameed served as Chief of Staff under the incumbent COAS, General Bajwa, when the latter was serving as Corps Commander Rawalpindi.

Lt. Gen Azhar Abbas, Lt. Gen Nauman Mahmood Raja and Lt. Gen Faiz Hameed all belong to the Baloch Regiment.

Interestingly, only three corps commanders of Peshawar were elevated to the position of four-star generals in the past – namely, General Sawar Khan, General Aslam Baig and General Ehsan ul Haq, and among these, only General Aslam Baig made it to COAS.

At number five is the incumbent Corps Commander Gujranwala, Lt. Gen. Muhammad Aamer. He belongs to the Artillery. In the past he has served as  Adjutant General. As a Major General, he was the GoC of the 10 Infantry Division Lahore, and the Director General Staff Duties at the COAS Secretariat.

At number six in the seniority list is incumbent Corps Commander Multan, Lt. Gen. Chiragh Haider Baloch. Gen. Haider belongs to the Frontier Force Regiment. A Punjabi Baloch, he belongs to Sahiwal District, Sargodha. He has previously served as the DG, Joint Staff Headquarters, DG, Military Training and GoC, Infantry Division Jhelum.

At number seven on the seniority list, is the incumbent Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmad Anjum Sheikh.

Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed Anjum Sheikh has previously served as Corps Commander Karachi, Commandant, Command and Staff College Quetta, Inspector General, Frontier Corps (IGFC) Balochistan,  and Brigade Commander, Waziristan and Kurram Agency.

At the end of the day, who earns the two most vital posts in the armed forces, depends on who the Prime Minister is in November 2022. If the present status quo remains, the incumbent Premier, Shahbaz Sharif will appoint the next COAS and CJCSC. But, keeping the current political environment in mind, there could be a caretaker set-up by November, or even a new PM if early elections are held.