General Qamar Javed Bajwa has become Pakistan's new Army Chief as General Raheel Sharif steps down
General Qamar Javed Bajwa today took over as Pakistan's new army chief, succeeding General Raheel Sharif at a ceremony held in Rawalpindi.
Gen Raheel Sharif handed over the command of the army to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Bajwa at a ceremony held in the Army Hockey Stadium, close to the General Headquarters (GHQ).
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday appointed Gen Bajwa as army chief by elevating him to the rank of four-star general.
General Raheel Sharif, in January, had declared he would not seek an extension. "I will retire on the due date," he had said.
There were speculation that the PML-N government would give him an extension at the eleventh hour citing reasons that he was needed by the country to lead the war on terror. The post of Army chief is the most powerful in Pakistan.