Pakistan Army General Sahir Shamshad Mirza took charge as the CJCSC

Pakistan Army General Sahir Shamshad Mirza took charge as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) on Sunday, in a ceremony at the Joint Staff Headquarters. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing joint services guard presented the salute to Gen Mirza, who inspected a guard of honor and march past.

Gen Mirza became the CJCSC, after Gen (retd) Nadeem Raza, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, retired a day earlier. CJCSC is the highest authority in the hierarchy of the armed forces. The key powers, including mobilization of troops, appointments, and transfers, lie with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Hence, it makes the person holding this post the most powerful in the military.

President Arif Alvi, on Thursday, promoted Lt Gen Syed Asim Munir to the rank of General and appointed him as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) with immediate effect. President also promoted Lt Gen Mirza to the rank of General and appointed him as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) with immediate effect, from November 27. As Gen Munir and Gen Mirza were the first and second on the seniority list, respectively, both the key position went to the most-senior generals.

Lt Gen Mirza, hails from the Sindh Regiment, has had an impressive career in the army, mainly in senior leadership positions in the last seven years. He gained prominence as director-general of military operations (DGMO) in the last two years of Gen Raheel Sharif, the COAS, from 2013-16.

Further, Lt Gen Mirza was involved in the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), which brokered intra-Afghan talks involving Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, and the United States. He was also a member of the Sartaj Aziz-led committee on reforms for Gilgit-Baltistan.