Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Major GeneralBabar Iftikhar, has already ruled out the possibility of General Bajwaseeking another extension. “Let me put this to rest. COAS is neitherseeking extension nor will he accept it. He will be retiring on time onNovember 22,” he told reporters during a press conference earlier thismonth.
The question arises — who will call the shots at the Pakistan Army’sGeneral Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi come November?
Estimates suggest that 20 generals would have retired between Bajwa’sextension in 2019 and the end of his tenure later this year, including atleast seven lieutenant generals. This means that there are very few in thearmy with the credentials to take over as COAS.
Among the frontrunners for the job are Lt Generals Sahir Shamshad Mirza,Azhar Abbas, Nauman Mahmood Raja and Faiz Hameed.
It is interesting to note that all of the four top contenders were promotedfrom Major General to Lieutenant General in 2019. Those in the know ofthings also point out that only three corps commanders from Peshawar haverisen to the rank of a four-star general in Pakistan — General Sawar Khan,General Aslam Beg and General Ehsan ul Haq.*Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza*
Lt General Sahir Shamshad Mirza will be the senior-most serving officer inthe Pakistan Army after Bajwa’s retirement. Commander of the X Corps inRawalpindi since September 2021, he was commissioned in 1987 into the 8thbattalion of the Sind Regiment, an infantry unit.
Mirza hails from a humble background and lost his parents when he wasyoung. He is knownlinkasa staunch institutionalist who has worked to safeguard the authority andprestige of the army.
He has served as Chief of General Staff (CGS) at GHQ from November 2019 toSeptember 2021 and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) fromSeptember 2015 to October 2018. He has also commanded divisions in DeraIsmail Khan and Okara in Punjab.
Owing to his seniority within the Pakistan Army, many believe Lt Gen. Mirzacould take over as either the COAS or the Chairman Joint Chiefs of StaffCommittee (CJCSC); the incumbent CJCSC, Nadeem Raza, also retires inNovember 2022.——————————*Lt General Azhar Abbas*
Lt General Azhar Abbas is currently serving as Chief of General Staff (CGS)at the GHQ. Commissioned into the 41st battalion of the Baloch regiment —the same regiment as Gen. Bajwa — he has previously served as commandant ofthe infantry school in Quetta. He was also personal secretary to GeneralRaheel Sharif, who was army chief from November 2013 to November 2016.
Lt Gen. Abbas has commanded the 12 Infantry Division in Murree and servedas a brigadier in the Operations Directorate, in addition to a stint asdirector-general of the Joint Staff Headquarters.
He was commander of the X Corps from September 2019 to September 2021. Thisis seen as a key division of the army since it is responsible for securityalong the Line Of Control (LoC) with India.
It was Lt Gen. Mirza who replaced Lt Gen. Abbas as commander of the X Corpsin September 2021.
As is the career trajectory of top generals in Pakistan Army, an officerusually serves as commander of a corps, Chief of General Staff at GHQ andDirector General Military Operations before being appointed the Chief ofArmy Staff.
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Both Lt Gen. Mirza and Lt Gen. Abbas tick these boxes.
*Lt General Nauman Mehmood Raja*
Lt General Nauman Mehmood Raja has been serving as president of theNational Defence University (NDU) since November 2021.
Originally from Adhwal village in Rawalpindi, he was commissioned into aninfantry battalion of the Baloch Regiment in 1987. Lt Gen. Raja has servedas corps commander in Peshawar, Director-General of Analysis atInter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Inspector General (IG) forCommunication and Information Technology at the GHQ.
He was also the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of an infantry division inMiranshah.
*Lt General Faiz Hameed*
Lt General Faiz Hameed, currently serving as Commander of the XI Corps inPeshawar, was DG of the ISI from June 2019 to October 2021. Hameed, who isalso from the Baloch Regiment, hails from Latifal village in Chakwaldistrict in Pakistan’s Punjab.
He was given charge of the XI Corps in October 2021, following the Talibantakeover in Afghanistan.
Lt Gen. Hameed has also served as DG of internal security in the ISI andcommanded the 16th infantry division in Pannu Aqil in Sindh when he was amajor general.
His personal equation with General Bajwalinkgoesback many years. As a brigadier, Lt Gen. Hameed served as chief of staff toGeneral Bajwa, who was a field command officer with the X Corps inRawalpindi at the time.
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