NUZHAT NAZAR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday appointed Lieutenant General Nadeem Raza as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) with effect from November 27.

According to an official press statement from the PM House, the Prime Minister gave approval to the appointment and it will take effect from Nov 27, 2019.

The notification for Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa’s extension in the tenure was issued on August 19, it added.

Lt-Gen Nadeem Raza, who became Chief of General Staff in August 2018, was being seen by the defence observers as the front runner for this post, as per his profile. He has also commanded 10 Corps in Rawalpindi.

He belongs to 72nd Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Long Course Sindh Regiment and he got commission on Sept 13, 1985.

The top contenders for the office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) were Strategic Plans Division (SPD) Director General Lt-Gen Sarfraz Sattar, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt-Gen Nadeem Raza and Commander V Corps, headquartered at Karachi, Lt-Gen Humayun Aziz.