Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, met with his elder brother, Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML-N and three-term prime minister, in London and spoke with him about matters pertaining to the choice of the new Pakistan Army chief, according to reports on Friday evening.
According to rumours making the rounds in Pakistani media, the Nawaz-Shehbaz meeting resolved that the Chief of Army Staff will be appointed based on merit and would be the senior-most general (COAS).
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the current COAS, will step down later this month. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reports that General Bajwa has begun making farewell visits to the Pakistan Army’s various formations.
Lieutenant General Asim Munir is the senior-most of the six lieutenant generals set to feature in a summary set to be sent to the prime minister for the military top post, is currently serving as Quarter Master General at the GHQ. He was originally slated to retire in September, 2022. He will, however, now retire in November, 2022 on account of being on leave for some time following his promotion as lieutenant general.
Amir served as military secretary to then President Asif Ali Zardari. He is currently serving as Gujranwala corps commander. He too has a decent chance at being named army chief, according to Toor.
Journalist Umer Cheema and Azaz Syed also claimed that Asim Munir and Azhar Abbas have been picked by the govt to be promoted to the 4-star rank. One of these will be army chief and the other Chairman Joint Chiefs Of Staff Committee, reveal Azaz Syed and Umar Cheema.
Who is Lieutenant General Azhar Abbas?
He was assigned as Corps Commander Rawalpindi in October 2021 so he could gain operational experience and qualify for the highest positions.
When remarking on his resume, a military insider claimed that he was the undisputed front-runner for either of the two positions of COAS and CJCSC.
Among the current brass, Lt. Gen. Abbas has the most familiarity with Indian relations. As chief of general staff (CGS), he currently has direct control over the GHQ operations and intelligence directorates, effectively leading the army. Prior to that, he oversaw the politically significant and Rawalpindi-based X Corps, demonstrating the current army chief’s entire confidence in him. It was Lt-Gen Abbas’ responsibility to maintain adherence to the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the LOC, which the Indian and Pakistani armies had agreed to while he was commander of the X Corps.
Lt. Gen. Abbas had previously held the position of commandant at the Infantry School in Quetta. He served as Gen Raheel Sharif’s personal staff officer and had a front-row seat to the highest levels of decision-making because of his role as Sharif’s personal staff officer. During that time, he was also able to communicate with the top officials of friendly nations and the PML-N. After that, he was in charge of the 12th Infantry Division, which was stationed in Murree and was in charge of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.