ISLAMABAD – General Qamar Javed Bajwa has been appointed as the Chief of Army Staff for another three years, according to a notification issued by PM Office on Monday.
“General Qamar Javed Bajwa is appointed Chief of Army Staff for another term of three years from the date of completion of current tenure. The decision has been taken in view of regional security environment,” read the notification signed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
His extension will start from the day of his retirement.
The development comes just a week after COAS Bajwa stated that Pakistani troops were prepared to “go to any extent” to help Kashmiris after the Indian government revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Bajwa presided over the Corps Commanders Conference, which is the highest decision making forum of the army, held at General Headquarters on a single point agenda of Kashmir.
“Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations…,” Gen Bajwa told the army commanders.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa
General Qamar Javed Bajwa Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) was commissioned in 16 Baloch Regiment on 24 October 1980. He is graduate of Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, (Toronto) Canada, Naval Post Graduate University, Monterey (California) USA, National Defence University, Islamabad. He has been an instructor at School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta, Command and Staff College, Quetta and NDU in the past. He has also been Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade and Chief of Staff of Rawalpindi Corps.
He commanded 16 Baloch Regiment, an Infantry Brigade and has commanded Infantry Division in Northern Areas Commander FCNA, the Pakistan Contingent in Congo, and also the 10 Corps – the army’s largest, which is responsible for the area along the Line of Control (LoC).
He was serving at the GHQ as Inspector General of Training and Evaluation — before his elevation to the rank of top military commander in November, 2016.
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Gen Bajwa has extensive experience of handling affairs in Kashmir and the northern areas of the country. Despite his extensive involvement with Kashmir and northern areas, he is said to consider extremism a bigger threat for the country than India.
This is the second time a serving Army chief has been granted an extension in his service by the civil government.
Earlier, General (r) Ashfaq Pervez Kayani served two terms as COAS after the Zardari-led PPP government approved his extension in 2010, citing continuity as the reason for doing so.
