Pakistan Army Chief Shuffles Generals

These transfers can be seen as part of a continuing process on General Asim Munir's part to keep his senior generals happy, notes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.

IMAGE: General Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, with then president Arif Alvi, November 24, 2022. Photograph: Press Information Department/Handout/Reuters

In a reshuffle of three star generals (January 21), Pakistan's army chief General Asim Munir has brought back one of his loyalists, Lieutenant General Syed Aamer Raza, Armoured Corps (6 Lancers) erstwhile Corps Commander, Lahore, as his chief of general staff.

Lieutenant General Raza is an officer from the Officer's Training Scheme stream (the chief's own).

He had been posted at Lahore immediately after the tumultuous May 9, 2023 violent events vandalising the corps commander's house (Jinnah House) there, when Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf cadres targeted army installations in a countrywide protest after Imran Khan's arrest.

IMAGE: Lieutenant General Avais Dastgir. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ikramuddinkamil/wikipedia.org/Creative Commons

Lieutenant General Muhd Avais Dastgir, Armd Corps (58 Cavalry), who was serving as the chief of general staff, goes to V Corps, Karachi as the new corps commander, replacing Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar, Armd Corps (6 Lancers).

Promoted in November 2023 (83 rd PMA Long Course), Lieutenant General Dastgir was Director General, Military Operations earlier. He is certainly one of the younger officers from the army on a promising professional career graph.

IMAGE: Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar. Photograph: Kind courtesy Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (Pakistan)/wikipedia.org/Creative Commons

Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar goes as president, National Defence University, Islamabad. He had served as director general, Inter Services Public Relations earlier, under then army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Lieutenant General Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Sind regiment, who was serving as inspector general, training & evaluation at General Headquarters, goes as the new IV Corps Commander, Lahore. He is an officer of the 80th PMA course. Earlier also, he had been considered for the Lahore assignment and had been waiting patiently for a corps command.

Lieutenant General Aamer Najam, Sind regiment, recently promoted at NDU, Islamabad (84th PMA course) goes as inspector general, training & evaluation, in Fayyaz Shah's slot at GHQ.

Only one retirement of a three star general is due, in April, when Lieutenant General Saqib Mahmood Malik, Punjab regiment, GoC, XXXI Corps, Bahawalpur, fades out.

These transfers can be seen as part of a continuing process on General Asim Munir's part to keep his senior generals happy while following the normal professional yardsticks for filling up important higher command posts.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com