Decision on next Pakistan army chief by mid-Sept
Islamabad, August 16
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could initiate discussions on the appointment of the next army chief to replace General Qamar Javed Bajwa by the end of August, and take a decision by mid-September, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Potential candidates
- Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza
- Lt Gen Azhar Abbas
- Lt Gen Asim Munir
- Lt Gen Nauman Mehmood
- Lt Gen Faiz Hamid
- Lt Gen Mohammad Amir
Appointed in 2016, the current Chief of Army Staff Gen Bajwa, 61, is set to retire in the last week of November.
Four of the six top Lt-Gens at the time of Gen Bajwa’s retirement will be from the same batch, while a fifth is senior to almost the entire lot.
Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza and Lt Gen Azhar Abbas are among the six potential frontrunners who can replace Gen Bajwa as the next chief of Pakistan’s Army.
Lt-Gen Mirza is the senior-most amongst the four candidates belonging to the same batch. He hails from the Sindh Regiment.
