General (Pakistan)

General /pɑːkistɑːni dʒɛnərəl/; Urdu: جنرل; abbreviated as GEN) is a four-star commissioned general officer and military rank in the Pakistan Army, officially used by the government of Pakistan to denote a supreme leader of the army.[1][2] It is given to an army general officer (usually a lieutenant general) upon promotion or possibly a position advancement with a basic pay scale of 22 (BPS-22).[3] It is the highest rank in the armed services with NATO's equivalent-rank code of OF-9, immediately ranks above three-star lieutenant general and below five-star field marshal. Since it is denoted by a four-star rank, it is equivalent to the rank of admiral and air chief marshal.[4] The Pakistan army is led by a senior four-star general as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The army chief also serves as a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC).[5] A new Chief of Army Staff is not always the most senior of the eligible generals; indeed, as of 2016, the new COAS has been the most senior candidate only four of fourteen times.[6] Army general is a powerful rank in the country designed to command security affairs with military leadership privileges.[7]

This article is about the Pakistan Army rank. For other countries that use corresponding rank, see General.
General
Insignia with crossed swords and laurel device of a four-star general
Illustration of a general with corresponding stars
Country Pakistan
Service branch Pakistan Army
AbbreviationGEN
RankFour-star
Non-NATO rankOF-9
Next higher rankField marshal
Next lower rankLieutenant general
Equivalent ranksAdmiral (Pakistan Navy)
Air chief marshal (Pakistan Air Force)

The insignia of a four-star general consists of shoulder stars, crossed swords and laurel device. The country's army is headed by two four-star officers, the COAS and the Chairman of the JCSC, with distinct positions, powers and responsibilities.[8][9] The COAS has the power to command the armed forces, to ask for the written opinion of the military, and to promote or dismiss other officers as commissioned by the army law.[10]

Currently serving 4-star generals in Pakistan army are mentioned below:

Number Rank Name Position Decorations
1 4-Star General (BPS-APEX) Sahir Shamshad Mirza Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)

Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)

 8 Sind Regiment76 PMA Long Course
2 Syed Asim Munir Ahmad Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)

Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)

Sword of Honour

 23 Frontier Force Regiment17 OTS Course

Appointment

Four-star rank goes hand-in-hand with the positions of JCSC member and COAS, so this rank is not permanent. A general is directly nominated for appointment to four-star rank by the President of Pakistan in a joint effort with the prime minister who plays a key role in promoting, appointing or reappointment of a general. The term of service (or extension of an existing term of service) is usually decided as commissioned by the constitution.[11][12] In case the reappointment or service extension is found ineligible or otherwise unauthorized, the Supreme Court may overrule the government order.[13]

See also

References
  1. "PAKISTAN AIR FORCE". Official website. 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. "IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN (Original Jurisdiction)" (PDF).
  3. "Pak Army Ranks & Insignia - PAK ARMY - Pak Army".
  4. "Pakistan Navy Official Website". www.paknavy.gov.pk.
  5. "Qamar Javed Bajwa is Pakistan Army chief: All you need to know about Raheel Sharif's successor". 27 November 2016.
  6. "Four of 13 army chiefs were senior-most when appointed".
  7. Masood, Salman (28 January 2018). "Pakistan Army 'Has Greatly Increased its Clout' Under New Chief". The New York Times.
  8. "Resentment over Pak army chief's extension".
  9. "Prominent generals for top posts in 2019".
  10. "Army chief ratifies life sentence for serving major over misuse of authority". 20 August 2019.
  11. "Pakistan Prime Minister appoints new army chief; Qamar Bajwa to head the 5.50 lakh army". The Economic Times. 12 July 2018.
  12. Khan, Feroz (7 November 2012). Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb. ISBN 9780804784801.
  13. "Pakistan: Supreme Court suspends government's decision to extend Army chief General Bajwa's tenure". 26 November 2019.
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