ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army has promoted several distinguished officers to the rank of Lieutenant General, assigning them to strategic command and staff roles essential for the army’s operational and organisational effectiveness.

The newly-promoted Lieutenant Generals include Lt Gen Tabbasum Habib, Lt Gen Amir Najam, Lt Gen Arshad Naseem, Lt Gen Hassan Khattak, and Lt Gen Azhar Waqas.

Lt Gen Ahsan Gulrez, who was promoted last year, has been appointed as the Commander of 2 Corps, Multan, one of the army’s primary fighting formations. Prior to this, he was serving as the Director General Joint Staff (DG JS).

Maj Gen Tabbasum Habib has been promoted to Lt Gen and will take over as the new Director General Joint Staff (DG JS). In this role, he will lead strategic coordination between various branches of Pakistan’s armed forces. He was serving as DG PP (perspective planning) earlier.

Lt Gen Amir Najam has been promoted and retained as Chief Instructor (CI) at the National Defence University (NDU), responsible for overseeing advanced military education and training. Earlier, he was serving as CI (B) at NDU.

Currently, Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor is serving as NDU’s president, who is expected to retire on December 22, 2024. Lt Gen Arshad Naseem has assumed the role of Surgeon General, taking charge of military medical services and operational health facilities. The position had been vacant for the past four months.

Lt Gen Hassan Khattak has been named for the Quarter Master General (QMG) post, where he will oversee logistics, supplies, and other critical support operations within the army. This role became available after the previous QMG, Lt Gen (R) Muhammad Ali, was assigned as Secretary of Defence. Earlier, he was serving as DG (K) in ISI.

Lt Gen Azhar Waqas has been promoted to Adjutant General (AG), Rawalpindi, where he will manage personnel policies, welfare, and human resources. Before this role, he served as the Director General of Rangers in Sindh.

According to the sources, these appointments reflect the Pakistan Army’s ongoing focus on reinforcing its leadership team, preparing it to address evolving operational demands and supporting a strong organisational structure. The newly appointed Lieutenant Generals bring extensive expertise to their roles and are set to play pivotal roles in advancing the army’s strategic goals.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024