Gen Raheel Sharif appointed as new COAS

President Mamnoon Hussain, on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on Wednesday appointed Lt General Raheel Sharif as the new chief of army staff.
The decision shocked not only senior-most Lt General Haroon Aslam, but also several analysts who were predicting that General Ashfaq Kayani would get another extension.
Lt General Rashad Mahmood has been given the slot of chairman joint chiefs of staff committee.
Sharif not only shares his last name with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but also has family ties with the ruling family.
“On the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and in pursuance of Article 243/4 (a) and 243/4(b) of the Constitution of Pakistan, President of Pakistan and Supreme Commander of Armed Forces Mamnoon Hussain has been pleased to promote and appoint Gen Rashad Mahmood as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Gen. Raheel Sharif as Chief of the Army Staff,” reads a notification issued.
Nawaz has made another important move by giving additional charge of the Defence Ministry to Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif. Asif will appear in the Supreme Court in the missing persons’ case.
While and additional charge of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights to Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, a close confidant and Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage in view of the orders of the apex court in missing persons case by giving additional responsibilities to Lt Gen Raheel was serving as Inspector General Training and Evaluation while Lt Gen Mahmood was serving as Chief of General Staff before their elevation to the top posts. In early morning, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held separate meeting with both Raheel and Rashad and took them onboard about his decision.
This was the fourth time that Nawaz selected an army chief. In the past, he appointed General Abdul Waheed Kakar as the army chief in 1993, but the general ditched him and played a key role in his resignation. Kakar had superseded at least four senior generals.
In 1998, Nawaz hand-picked General Pervez Musharraf to head the army. Musharraf first plotted the Kargil misadventure, derailing the India-Pakistan peace dialogue in 1999 and then engineered a coup against the PM in the same year. Nawaz selected General Ziauddin Butt in October 1999, but he could not take over as the army chief due to a coup by Musharraf.
Kayani, who also served as the director-general of the ISI and director of the Directorate-General of Military Operations, will hang his boots on Friday after being at the helm of the affairs for six years.
General Raheel Sharif, Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military) hails from martial stock. He was born in Quetta on 16 June 1956. He is the younger brother of Major Shabbir Sharif, Nishan-e-Haider, Sitara-e-Jurrat; and Capt Mumtaz Sharif.
He is an alumnus of the Govt College Lahore and the Pakistan Military Academy from where he passed out with 54th PMA long course. He was commissioned in October 1976 in the battle hardened and renowned 6th Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment in which his elder brother had embraced martyrdom.
As a young officer, he performed his duties in Gilgit in an infantry brigade and also served as adjutant of the PMA. He did the company commander’s course from Germany and subsequently served in the School of Infantry and Tactics as an instructor. He attended the Command and Staff College Canada, graduating with distinction.
The officer carries a vast experience of command, staff and instructional appointments. He served as the brigade major of an infantry brigade and has commanded two infantry units, 6 Frontier Force Regiment in Kashmir along the LoC and 26 Frontier Force Regiment along the Sialkot border. He remained on the faculty of the Command and Staff College, Quetta and attended the armed forces war course in the National Defence University, Islamabad in 1988.
As a brigadier, he commanded two infantry brigades, including an independent infantry brigade group. The general has had the honour of being the chief of staff of two corps, 30 Corps and 12 Corps. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies, the United Kingdom.
He has been the general officer commanding of an infantry division and the commandant of the PMA. As a lieutenant general, he served as the 30 Corps commander for two years before taking over as inspector general training and evaluation in which capacity the he oversaw the training of the Pakistan Army.
His stewardship resulted in fructification of Pakistan Army’s operation though and doctrinal response to the much vaunted Col Start doctrine of the Indian Army.
The general is married and has two sons and a daughter. He is an avid reader and enjoys hunting and swimming.
New CJCSC Lieutenant General Rashad Mahmood, HI (M) was commissioned in May 1975 in Baloch Regiment. He has attended company commander course from France and is a graduate of Command and Staff College Canada, National Defence College, Islamabad. The general officer has varied experience of command, staff and instructional appointments.