Lt Gen Nadeem Raza new head of Joint Chief of Staff Committee
ISLAMABAD: General Nadeem Raza, HI (M) on Wednesday 27 November 2019, took charge as new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) in a low-key event at Chaklala.
Gen Raza was on Nov 21 appointed as the 18th CJCSC to succeed Gen Zubair Hayat, who has retired from service on completion of his tenure.
Traditionally, the new CJCSC is presented a guard of honour by a contingent of tri-services and the outgoing chairman hands over the command to his successor at a ceremony attended by the services chiefs and other senior serving and retired officers.
Outgoing chairman Gen Hayat’s farewell to arms ceremony was, meanwhile, held a day (on Tuesday 27 Nov.).
Gen Hayat was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent of tri-services at the Joint Staff Headquarters. The PRO further said that besides serving personnel, a large number of retired senior officers also attended the ceremony. None of the services chiefs attended the ceremony as could be seen in the pictures of the event tweeted by the PRO.
Gen Nadeem Raza is from Infantry’s Sindh Regiment. He was earlier posted as Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the GHQ. He has also remained Corps Commander Rawalpindi. The chairman is technically the senior most officer in the hierarchy of the armed forces; however, the newly appointed CJCSC is the youngest among all the four-star officers currently in service.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee is an inter-services forum that works for coordination among the three armed forces. The CJCSC also serves as the principal military adviser to the prime minister and the National Command Authority.
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Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza appointed Chief of General Staff
RAWALPINDI (25 Nov) The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced major appointments and postings on Monday 25th Nov., according to which Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza has been appointed Chief of General Staff.
According to the ISPR, two major generals have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Generals.
Major General Muhammad Saeed has also been promoted to the rank of Lt General and appointed as the president of the National Defence University.
According to the ISPR, following postings and appointments have been made.
• Lieutenant General Nadeem Zaki Manj appointed Director General Strategic Plans Division Force
• Lieutenant General Muhammad Amir appointed Adjutant General
• Lieutenant General Shaheen Mazhar Mehmood appointed Commander Mangla Corps
• Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood appointed Commander Peshawar Corps
• Lieutenant General Ali Amir Awan appointed Inspector General Communications & Information Technology (IG C&IT)
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COAS GEN. BAJWA GETS SIX MONTHS CONDITIONAL EXTENSION
Islamabad (Thursday 26 Nov. 2019) SUPREME COURT ORDER PLACES BALL IN PARLIAMENT’S COURT, ASKS GOVERNMENT TO FIX LACUNAS OVER EXTENSION OF ARMY CHIEF
In its short order, a three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Mian Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said it would allow the government to extend the tenure of the Army chief so long as it enacts legislation to codify it under law within six months. This means Gen. Bajwa’s extension is set to expire in May 2020 without the necessary legislation.
In its order, the apex court said that the government, represented by Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan, had failed to establish any legal justification for extending the Army chief’s tenure. CJP Khosa said the court had “thoroughly examined” Article 243(b) of the Constitution, which says the president can appoint the Chief of Army Staff on advice of the prime minister, and noted it made no mention of retirement, extensions or reappointments. It said the government should consider amending Article 243 to address these issues.
However, the order said, the court would show “judicial restraint” and place the matter before Parliament, allowing the extension to take place to prevent any crisis in the armed forces being left without a chief, as Bajwa is set to retire at midnight today (Nov. 28). “We have reviewed several laws including Army Act 1952 and Rule 1954,” the chief judge added.
The court, during its proceedings prior to announcing the verdict, had directed the government to submit a fresh notification that removed all references to the apex court’s proceedings; the duration of the Army chief’s tenure; and any description of the Army chief’s salary and perks. It also directed the government to submit an undertaking that it would enact the relevant legislation to fix lacunas in the Army Rules and Regulations and the Army Act.
Under the questions raised by the court, the government must fix how many extensions a single Army chief is eligible for; whether a retired official can be appointed to the top post; and what the tenure of extension must be.
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Pakistan conducts training launch of ballistic missile Shaheen-1
RAWALPINDI(18 Nov 2019) Pakistan on Monday successfully conducted training launch of surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-1. The launch was conducted as part of a training exercise, which was aimed at testing the operational readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command, the ISPR said.
Shaheen-1 missile is capable of delivering all types of warheads up to a range of 650 kilometres.
The training launch was witnessed by Director General Strategic Plans Division (SPD) Lieutenant General Sarfraz Sattar, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) Lieutenant General Qazi Muhammad Ikram Ahmad, Chairman Nescom Dr Nabeel Hayat Malik, senior officers from SPD, ASFC, scientists and engineers.
The ISPR said that troops displayed a high standard of proficiency in handling and operating the potent weapon system, ensuring Pakistan’s credible minimum deterrence.
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Pakistani Commandos Stuns the World with their Brilliant Marksmanship
(New Desk | November 15, 2019) Pakistani commandos made their country proud by acing the shooting contest held in Bangkok and winning a gold medal. The international competition attracted shooters and marksmen from many nations to present their talent yet Pakistani commandos trumped all to win a gold medal.
In a recently concluded international shooting contest, a Pakistani commando made his country proud by winning a gold medal among shooters representing different countries.
More than 100 shooters participated in the event, held in Bangkok, from 10 different Asian nations. The event was organized in collaboration with China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Macau.
The shooting event attracted the best shooters from across Asia to present their talent. Pakistani Commandos hail from Sindh and are a part of the Special Security Unit, Sindh. Commandos, Arslan Anwar and Abdul Shakoor were highly delighted to represent their country at such a huge venue.
Commando Arslan Anwar won a gold medal for Pakistan in the Asian International Defensive Pistol Association Cup (IDPA) competition held in Bangkok by hitting 118 targets in 6.16 minutes in the final round of practice shooting, an admirable feat.
He also secured 3rd position in the international category alongside his countrymen, Commando Abdul Shakoor who also secured 3rd position in the marksmanship category.
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-usual ranges.
Both the commandos made their country by performing extraordinarily in the event. Commando Arslan secured 3rd position in the international shooting category and a gold medal among 100 Asian shooters whereas Commando Abdul Shakoor secured 3rd position in the Marksman category.
SSU Commandant Maqsood Ahmed congratulated the commandos for their performance in the event and praised the department for producing such agile policemen.