NAVEED BUTT

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) on National Strategic Command (NSC) Commander General Syed Amir Raza.

A ward ceremony was held at Aiwan-e-Sadr.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed AsimMunir and the services chiefs attended the ceremony.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani, federal ministers, senior government officials and ambassadors of several countries were also present.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promoted General Raza, who was previously serving as Chief of the General Staff, from the rank of lieutenant general to four-star general and simultaneously appointed him as NSC Commander.

The post of NSC Commander was created following the passage of the Pakistan Army, Air Force and Navy (Amendment) Bills, 2025, which also abolished the position of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

General Raza was commissioned into the 6 Lancers, a distinguished armoured corps regiment, in 1988. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta, the National Defence University, Islamabad, and the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.