Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s son says his father ‘believes in supremacy of constitution’ and desires ‘a Pakistan where preference is given to institutions over individuals’.
Bajwa’s 27-year-old-son Saad told this to Newsweek Pakistan.
Other important information from the general’s life include:
General Bajwa was born into a military family on November 11, 1960. He is the youngest of his five siblings. Bajwa got commission in Pakistan Army in 1978 and in 1980 he was appointed in Baloch Regiment. He has attended multiple military courses and exercises in US and Canada. He has commanded Northern Areas and served as commandant of the Army’s School of Infantry and Tactics, Quetta. General Bajwa was inspector-general for training and evaluation at the Army’s General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, before taking charge as army chief.
General Bajwa has also earned immense respect in Indian army camps during his peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007, where he worked with India’s likely new army chief.
Ex-Indian army chief has commended General Bajwa with words like ‘outstanding and professional soldier’.
Bajwa has broader historical worldview, thanks to his library which is entirely decorated with books on history.
General Bajwa enjoys playing and watching cricket. His favorite cricket stars are Sir Viv Richards and Javed Miandad. In singing, he relishes listening Pakistan’s great Noor Jehan.
Irresponsibility is one thing that our father can’t bear, reported his son.
The foremost objective of COAS, according to his sons, would be to counter the menace of extremism and terrorism.
Earlier this month, General Bajwa made it crystal clear that terror hideouts would be eliminated without any discrimination.
Operation Zarb-e-Azb was initiated after a terrorist attack struck Karachi Airport on June 8, 2014, which later earned more public support after terrorists butchered innocent children at APS, Peshawar, on December 16, 2014.
Remembering appalling events of that terrible day, Saad narrates his father’s words as follow:
“This has to be the end. There must be consensus against terrorism; it is the biggest threat to Pakistan’s existence.”
This report originally appeared in the Newsweek Pakistan.
