Asghar Ali Mubarak
Islamabad: Six top contenders for the next chief of staff in the Pakistan army have come to the fore with Lt-Gen Asim Munir being on the top of the list.
All lieutenant generals belong to the Pakistan army and other defence services.
The Pakistan Army Act 1952 empowers the prime minister to appoint the army chief by issuing a simple notification instead of going through a complex process.
Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa will retire on November 29 after six years of service.
A summary containing the names of the senior most lieutenant generals for the top slot has been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office through the Ministry of Defence.
Top contenders for the next army chief
Lt-Gen Asim Munir, the senior officer and currently serving as Quartermaster General in Pakistan Army, is on the top of the list for the army chief’s slot. Gen Asim Munir was appointed as the director-general of Military Intelligence in early 2017 and then Director General of ISI in October 2018. In addition, he is also a recipient of Hilal Imtiaz.
Lt-Gen Asim Munir, who is most likely to be picked as the next army chief, is set to retire a few days after Gen Bajwa retires.
Political pundits say that after the appointment as the next army chief, Lt-Gen Asim Munir is expected to be given an extension for at least three years.
Lt-Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who is on the second number in the list, is also a three-star general in the Pakistan Army. Lt-Gen Mirza is currently the commander of the Rawalpindi Corps. Lt-Gen Mirza served as Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Chief of General Staff and Adjutant General at General Headquarters. He is also a recipient of Hilala Imtiaz Military.
Lt-Gen Azhar Abbas, a three-star general, is also among the contenders for the next army chief and he is on the third. Lt-Gen Abbas has been serving as the 35th Chief of General Staff (CGS) since September 8, 2021, and is responsible for operational and intelligence affairs at the GHQ in Rawalpindi. He is a commissioned officer of the 41st Battalion of Baloch Regiment.
Lt-Gen Nauman Mehmood, who is currently the President of National Defence University, is also among the contenders for the top slot.
Lt-Gen Nauman also served as the Chief Instructor at Command and Staff College, Quetta. In 2019, Lt-Gen Nauman was promoted to the rank of three-star general and posted as Corps Commander Peshawar, where he oversaw security and fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed, who also among the contenders for the army chief’s slot, is currently serving as the Corps Commander Bahawalpur. Earlier, Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed served as the Commander of the Peshawar Corps. He has also served as the director-general of the ISI for two-and-a-half-year before being promoted to the rank of Lt-General.
Lt-Gen Muhammad Aamir, who belongs to Artillery Regiment and currently serving as commanding XXX Corps in Gujranwala, is also among the top contenders for the top slot. Earlier, Lt-Gen Amir served as Adjutant General at the GHQ. As a Maj-Gen, he headed the 10 Infantry Division in Lahore till 2018.
