ISLAMABAD, Nov 26:
Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has extensive experience of handling affairs in PoK and the northern areas, was today appointed as Pakistan’s new army chief to succeed Gen Raheel Sharif.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Bajwa as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) by elevating him to the rank of four-star General, officials said.
Bajwa will take charge of the world’s sixth-largest army by troop numbers in a formal handover on Tuesday, when General Raheel formally retires.
Raheel in January had declared he would not seek extension. “I will retire on the due date,” he had said.
There were speculation that the PML-N Government would give him extension at the eleventh hour citing reasons that he was needed by the country to lead war on terror. The post of army chief is the most powerful in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has confirmed that Bajwa was appointed as COAS and Zubair Hayat as Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC). (PTI)
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