Islamabad (GNP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced the promotion of Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Aamer Raza to the rank of four-star general, alongside his appointment as Commander of the National Strategic Command.
The prime minister congratulated Raza on the promotion and expressed his best wishes for the new role.
The position of Commander National Strategic Command was created following the passage of the Pakistan Army, Air Force, and Navy (Amendment) Bills 2025, which also established Field Marshal Asim Munir as Chief of Defence Forces. The new role replaces the previously abolished position of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, last held by General Shamshad Mirza.
Under the new legislation, the prime minister has the authority to appoint the National Strategic Command chief from among serving Pakistan Army generals for a three-year term, based on a recommendation from the Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces.
Background on Lt. Gen. Aamer Raza
Raza was commissioned into the 6 Lancers regiment in 1988 and is a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta, and the National Defence University, Islamabad. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Nottingham in the UK, along with two additional master’s degrees — one in the Arts and Science of Warfare and another in Defence and Strategic Studies — both from the National Defence University.
Over the course of his career, Raza has held a range of command, staff, and instructional roles. He commanded the 6 Lancers from November 2007 to September 2009, and later led an armored brigade, an infantry brigade in South Waziristan, and an infantry division.
His earlier assignments included serving as Brigade Major of an infantry brigade, GSO-2 to the Chief of General Staff, Chief of Staff of a Strike Corps, and Director General of the Weapons & Equipment Directorate.
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On the instructional side, he has served as an instructor at the School of Armour and Mechanized Warfare, as Director of FORADS, and as Chief Instructor at the Command and Staff College, Quetta. He took command of the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) on April 28, 2020, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on October 11, 2022.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
