Pakistan will have a new army chief by the end of this month, bringing an end to the six-year tenure of incumbent General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Here is the list of five top generals in the seniority list of Pakistan Army from which one can assume the new army chief will be chosen.
1. Lt General Asim Munir
Lt General Asim Munir is Quartermaster General at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. He is at the top of the list in terms of seniority. His case is interesting given the fact that all other generals who were promoted to three-start in September 2018, have retired. His retirement date is November 27, just two days before the change of command.
General Asim has diversified experience in the army. He has served as Corps Commander Gujranwala. He was also the DG ISI from October 2018 to June 2019. His short stint as head of the premier intelligence agency raised many eyebrows. He is considered as a frontrunner as the government has indicated that the principle of seniority would take precedence this time in the appointment of a new chief.
2. Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza
Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza is the second in the seniority list. He is Corps Commander Rawalpindi. He also served as Chief of General Staff (CGS), a key position most army chiefs held in the past. CGS is known as the de facto army chief since he heads both the operational and intelligence directorates in the army. In simple words, every file in the army goes through his table. Previously he served as Director General Military Operations.
General Sahir has an interesting personal background. He lost his parents at an early age. He rose to this position with sheer hard work and struggle. It is said that he mentioned his unit in the parents’ column. Those who know General Sahir closely say he enjoys a good reputation in the army.
3. Lt General Azhar Abbas
He is third in the senior list. He is currently the CGS, considered a crucial position within the army hierarchy. He also served as Corps Commander Rawalpindi.
As CGS he has worked closely with the outgoing army chief. In terms of experience, he ticks all the boxes to become the next army chief.
4. Lt General Numan Mahmood
Lt general Numan Mahmood is the fourth in the seniority list. He is currently the President of the National Defence University. He was serving as Corps Commander Peshawar before being replaced by Lt General Faiz Hameed in November 2021.
General Numan is the least discussed candidate for the army chief slot. Perhaps few give him the chance to reach the top.
5. Lt General Faiz Hameed
The fifth in the seniority list is the most talked about three-star General. Lt General Faiz Hameed is currently posted as Corps Commander Bahawalpur. Previously he served as Corps Commander Peshawar. He had a long stint at the ISI — first as DG Counter-Intelligence and then as DG ISI. He was considered close confidant of General Bajwa and that was why he was given all the key postings.
He rose to prominence first as DG-C in ISI when his name surfaced on an agreement the government had signed with Tehreek-e-Labaik to end the three-week-long sit-in in Islamabad. He was in the spotlight once again when a judge of the high court accused him of pressuring the judiciary not to give any relief to ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif before the July 2018 elections.
