ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the conferment of the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) on General Syed Aamer Raza, the newly appointed Commander of Pakistan’s National Strategic Command (NSC), recognising his distinguished military service and leadership.
The President’s Secretariat announced the decision on Friday through a post on the social media platform X, stating that the President had approved the award for General Raza, who recently assumed command of the country’s newly created strategic military headquarters.
صدرِ مملکت نے جنرل سید عامر رضا، کمانڈر نیشنل اسٹریٹجک کمانڈ کو نشانِ امتیاز (ملٹری) عطا کرنے کی منظوری دے دی۔
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) July 31, 2026
General Raza has previously been decorated with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) and the Sitara-i-Basalat (Star of Valour), reflecting a career marked by operational excellence and distinguished service.
The approval comes days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promoted General Raza from the rank of lieutenant general and appointed him as Pakistan’s first-ever Commander of the National Strategic Command, a newly established four-star position created as part of a major overhaul of the country’s higher defence structure.
Islamabad, 24 July 2026.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has announced the promotion of Lieutenant General Aamer Raza, HI(M), SBt, Chief of the General Staff of Pakistan Army, to the rank of “Four-Star General” and his appointment as “Commander National Strategic… pic.twitter.com/U1Qk2K5nsl
— Prime Minister’s Office (@PakPMO) July 24, 2026
The office was established under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, enacted in November last year, which introduced sweeping changes to Pakistan’s military command architecture.
The constitutional reforms abolished the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and replaced it with the position of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), a role currently held concurrently by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
As Commander National Strategic Command, General Raza will oversee the operational integration of Pakistan’s strategic forces by bringing together the strategic commands of the Army, Navy and Air Force under a unified command structure.
However, the National Command Authority (NCA), chaired by the Prime Minister, will continue to exercise ultimate authority over the country’s nuclear policy and strategic decision-making.
Under the amended Pakistan Army Act, the Commander National Strategic Command is appointed by the Prime Minister on the recommendation of the Chief of Defence Forces from among serving four-star army generals and serves a fixed three-year term.
Before assuming his new responsibilities, General Raza served as Chief of General Staff (CGS), one of the Army’s most influential operational appointments.
In that role, he supervised the implementation of organisational reforms introduced following the 27th Constitutional Amendment, as well as restructuring measures undertaken after last year’s conflict with India, including the establishment of the Army Rocket Force Command.
Commissioned into the 6th Lancers in 1988 after graduating from the Officers Training School (OTS), General Raza has held a wide range of command and staff appointments throughout his military career.
He has commanded an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade, an infantry brigade in South Waziristan, an infantry division and Lahore’s IV Corps.
His staff assignments have included serving as Director General of Weapons and Equipment, Chief of Staff at II Corps and Chairman of Heavy Industries Taxila. At the time of his promotion to four-star rank, he was eighth on the Army’s seniority list of lieutenant generals.
The conferment of the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military), one of Pakistan’s highest military honours, further recognises General Raza’s longstanding contribution to the country’s defence establishment at a time of significant institutional transformation.
