Islamabad, Oct 3: Pakistan Navy on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vice Admiral Naveed Ashraf as its new chief amid several security challenges facing the cash-strapped country.
Ashraf will replace the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Amjad Niazi, after his retirement.
According to the Pakistan Navy spokesperson, the change of command ceremony will be held on Saturday in Islamabad.
The vice admiral would also be given the four-star rank on the same day, so he takes charge as the Chief of Naval Staff, Geo News reported.
Naveed Ashraf was commissioned in the Operations Branch of the Pakistan Navy in 1989. He is a graduate of the National Defence University Islamabad, the US Naval War College and the UK’s Royal College of Defence Studies.
The vice admiral has vast experience working in key command and staff positions and is currently serving as the Chief of Staff at the Naval Headquarters.
Pakistan has seen a wave of terror attacks in recent times.
A think-tank report showed that Pakistan’s security forces have experienced their highest casualties in eight years, with at least 386 personnel losing their lives in the first nine months of 2023.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Report for the third quarter of 2023 highlights that among the 1,087 violence-related fatalities recorded this year, security forces accounted for 36 per cent of the casualties, marking an eight-year high. This figure includes 137 Army personnel and 208 police personnel. (PTI)
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