A simple but impressive "change of Command" ceremony was held at Corps Headquarters, Karachi, on Monday. A press release, issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) here, said that the outgoing Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Ahsan Azhar Hayat, relinquished the charge of Corps Commander to formally install Lieutenant General Shahid Iqbal as new Corps Commander of 5 Corps.
Speaking on the occasion, the outgoing Corps Commander lauded the dedication and sheer professionalism of the under command Troops, and hoped that in future as well the Corps would continue to serve the nation with utmost zeal and responsibility under the able command of Lieutenant General Shahid Iqbal.
He also spoke at length about the welfare measures undertaken during his command, aimed at providing relief to the soldiers and their families. Highlighting the importance of peacetime training, he said that rigorous peacetime training had always been a defining principle in previous battles, troops must further excel in their respective areas of expertise and synergies their skills to achieve assigned objectives.
Lieutenant General Shahid Iqbal was commissioned in an Infantry battalion in 1972. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College, Quetta, and Armed Forces War Course from National Defence University, Islamabad. He has served on number of command, staff and instructional assignments. Besides commanding an Infantry Brigade, he has also commanded an Infantry Division.