Pakistan gets new Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee head

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday appointed Lt. Gen. Nadeem Raza to be the new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), the highest military rank, an official statement said.

Lt. Gen. Raza has been serving as the Chief of General Staff at the army headquarters -- commonly known as general headquarters.

He will take office on Nov. 27 following the retirement of his predecessor, Gen. Zubair Mahmood Hayat, said a statement by the Prime Minister's office.

In August, the prime minister had extended the term of Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa for another three years, which will also begin on Nov 27.

Both will serve until November 2022.

The CJCSC, in principle, is the highest-ranking military office having jurisdiction over all the three forces’ chiefs -- army, navy and air force -- but the army chief practically calls the shots due to the operational command over a 650,000-troop army.