Connect with us

Politics

Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa hands over baton of command to Gen Asim Munir

Published

on

  • Gen Asim Munir becomes 17th COAS of Pakistan.
  • Gen Bajwa hands over command to Gen Asim Munir in ceremony at GHQ.
  • General Bajwa presented guard of honour for last time as COAS.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday handed over the command of the Pakistan Army to his successor Gen Asim Munir in a ceremony held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

With the change of command, Gen Munir has become the 17th army chief of the Pakistan Army when Gen Bajwa handed over the baton to him.

Before handing over the command, Gen Bajwa, in his last address, congratulated his successor Gen Asim Munir for being promoted to the four star rank and as the head of the army.

“I have full faith that under his leadership army will reach new heights and his appointment will prove to be a positive for the country,” said Gen Bajwa. He added that he was happy to know that he was retiring by handing the army to an able officer like Gen Munir. 

Gen Bajwa said that his journey in the army started 44 years ago and has ended today. 

“I am thankful to Allah that he not only gave me an opportunity to work in the courageous and great army but also honoured me to command this army,” he said.

Appreciating the Pakistan Army, Gen Bajwa said that his prayers will always be with it in difficult times. 

“I am proud that the army protects the borders from Siachen to Thar despite having limited resources,” he added.

Gen Bajwa said that the army defends regardless of language, colour, caste and religion.

“I will soon go into oblivion, but the spiritual connection will always remain with the army,” said General Bajwa. 

Earlier, General Bajwa was presented guard of honour for the last time as the chief of army staff during the ceremony.

The change of command ceremony marks the time-honoured tradition that symbolises the seamless transition of military leadership.

The ceremony was attended by the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and chiefs of the armed forces. It was also attended by senior serving and retired military officers with their families.

Chief ministers, federal ministers, secretaries and foreign military officers deployed at embassies were also present at the ceremony.

Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Yadgar-e-Shuhda for the last time as chief of army staff with his successor Gen Asim Munir during a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, on November 29, 2022. — Screengrab/PTV
Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the Yadgar-e-Shuhda for the last time as chief of army staff with his successor Gen Asim Munir during a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, on November 29, 2022. — Screengrab/PTV

Before the ceremony, Gen Bajwa visited the Yadgar-e-Shuhda for the last time as chief of army staff. Gen Munir had accompanied him during the visit.

Gen Munir was chosen to lead the country’s army by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on November 24. The summary of his appointment was approved by President Arif Alvi the same day.

PM Shehbaz calls COAS Gen Munir

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned COAS Gen Munir to congratulate him on assuming the charge. The premier said that it was a great honour for the armed forces to have a brave soldier like him as their commander-in-chief.

He assured Gen Munir that the government will continue to cooperate with him in matters related to the defence, security, and protection of the homeland.

Gen Asim Munir

Gen Asim Munir after taking charge of Pakistan Armys command during a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, on November 29, 2022. — Screengrab/PTV
Gen Asim Munir after taking charge of Pakistan Army’s command during a ceremony at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, on November 29, 2022. — Screengrab/PTV

Gen Munir was commissioned in the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment in 1986. He passed out with the 17th Officers Training course, Mangla and was awarded the coveted sword of honour.

Before taking charge he was posted as the quartermaster general at the General Head Quarters.

Before taking charge as COAS, Gen Munir was also posted as a directing staff in Command and Staff College, Quetta, brigade major of a deployed infantry brigade in Kel, general staff officer, grade-2, CGS secretariat and chief of staff of Mangla corps.

Gen Munir has commanded the 23rd Frontier Force Regiment, Infantry Brigade, remained as a force commander in Northern Areas, Gilgit.

The incoming army chief has also served as the director general of Military Intelligence (MI).

In 2018, Gen Munir was appointed as the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and later transferred as corps commander Gujranwala.

After heading the Gujranwala corps, he was posted as quartermaster general which was his last assignment before becoming COAS.

Gen Munir graduated from Fuji school Japan, Command and Staff College, Quetta, Malaysian Armed Forces College, Kuala Lumpur and National Defence University, Islamabad.

The general also has M Phil in Public Policy and Strategic Security Management from National Defence University.

Gen Munir has become the first army chief who has headed both — MI and ISI. He is also the first army chief awarded the Sword of Honour.

Gen Munir is a keen sportsman, avid reader, traveller and also a Hafiz e Quran.

Elections

Atta Tarar’s triumph over NA-127 in the LHC is contested

Published

on

By

The victory of Attaullah Tarar, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) from Lahore’s NA-127 constituency in the general elections on February 8 has been contested in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Samiullah Khan’s victory from PP-145 has also been contested. The petitions will be heard by Election Tribunal Judge Sultan Tanveer. The petitions have included the Pakistani Election Commission (ECP) and other parties as parties.

In the meantime, Attaullah Tarar stated during a discussion with Miss Zoe Ware, the Political Counselor of the British High Commission, that fake news, misinformation, and disinformation were global issues that needed to be managed.

According to the minister, fake news is the largest issue on social media, and the government is working to address it.

The conference covered a wide range of topics, including the two nations’ relationship and how to foster media collaboration. Collaboration in the drama and cinema industries was also covered.

According to Attaullah Tarar, social media verification should be adopted by journalists, and a global code of conduct for social media usage should be created.

Miss Zoe Ware thanked Attaullah Tarar on taking over as Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) on establishing the cabinet.

She was given the assurance that the UK diplomat will work with her to promote bilateral ties between Pakistan and the UK.

Continue Reading

Pakistan

US commitment to resolving Pakistan’s energy crisis is prioritized

Published

on

By

According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Pakistan was assisted by the United States in producing an extra 4,000 megawatts of sustainable energy.

According to him, these kinds of initiatives have given Pakistan more capacity to produce energy, allowing it to power millions of people.

The spokesman restated that both nations will cooperate through the green alliance to address the environmental issues.

At a news briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “Earlier, the United States advised Pakistan to halt the Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Project, as engaging in business with Iran poses the risk of encountering U.S. sanctions.”

“We always advise everyone that doing business with Iran carries the risk of encountering our sanctions, and we would advise everyone to consider that very carefully,” he continued. “I’m not going to preview any potential sanctions.”

He said, “We do not support this pipeline going forward, as the Assistant Secretary made clear last week.”

The Pakistan-Iran pipeline project was approved for completion a few months ago by the caretaker administration in Pakistan. But after this permission, Pakistan received an official statement from the US expressing its worries. Pakistan again put a stop to the project’s execution when the United States expressed concerns.

Miller said, “We condemn the attack on a convoy of PRC engineers in Pakistan,” in response to a query. Miller also denounced the terrorist attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan. We offer our sincere condolences to all impacted by the incident and are extremely saddened by the deaths and injuries incurred.

He declared, “Terrorists have caused enormous suffering to the Pakistani people, and Chinese nationals living in Pakistan have also been the targets of terrorist strikes.” Such acts of terror should not occur in any nation.

In response to a question concerning a letter from Pakistani judges, the spokesperson stated that while he had seen the letter, he had not yet conferred with his colleagues and would not be making any comments.

Continue Reading

Pakistan

Fazlur Rehman says the government led by Shehbaz won’t be able to deliver

Published

on

By

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), expressed doubts on Wednesday over the viability of the Shehbaz Sharif administration, stating that he believes the new system will fail if citizens go to the streets.

Fazlur Rehman stated on Wednesday’s “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” segment of Geo News that “the parliament will likely be a rubber stamp.” There are simply too many obstacles for this government to handle. In the end, politicians will be held accountable for all of their shortcomings.”

The “crime is committed by someone else and the politicians take responsibility,” he said, calling it bizarre. The leader of JUI-F declared that his organization will demonstrate against the establishments that had turned the elections into a “game.”


Levels of Quality Complete Screen
Fazl has previously said that he would abstain from the by-elections for the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. In addition, he declared that on April 25, following Ramadan, he will start a protest campaign against the purported election manipulation from Balochistan.

“We firmly believe that there will be a rigged general election in 2024. And the factor that changed the outcome would be our aim. We reject the findings that led to the formation of this government,” he declared.

The leader of JUI-F stated that they disagreed with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa election results.

“[Earlier] the issues with the PTI were ideological and not election-related,” he said.

He stated that the party had not yet made the decision to work with the PTI. He did concede, though, that the Imran Khan-led party’s attitude has changed for the better. He remarked that it was a positive attitude and that it would not be a problem if the two parties moved together.

Fazl also revealed that he told Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, that he thought of him as a new blue-eyed boy during their meeting.

Continue Reading

Trending