The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) is a statutory position in the Pakistan Army held by its professional head, which is usually a four-star general, appointed by the President on the Prime Minister's nomination. The COAS serves ex officio as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the professional head of the Pakistan Armed Forces. As the highest-ranking officer, it is the most powerful position in the land army; and due to the influence of the military, the position is seen as the most powerful office in the country.
| Chief of the Army Staff | |
|---|---|
Chief of the Army Staff's Emblem | |
Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff | |
Incumbent since 29 November 2022Field Marshal Asim Munir | |
| Pakistan Army | |
| Status | Professional head of land forces branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces |
| Abbreviation | COAS |
| Member of | Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee National Security Council Special Investment Facilitation Council |
| Reports to | President of Pakistan Prime Minister of Pakistan Minister of Defence |
| Residence | General Headquarters (Rawalpindi Cantonment) |
| Seat | Rawalpindi, Punjab |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Pakistan |
| Appointer | President of Pakistan |
| Term length | 5 years (renewable once) |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Pakistan (Article 243) |
| Precursor | Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army |
| Formation | 3 March 1972 |
| First holder | Tikka Khan |
| Succession | Subjected to nomination by the Prime Minister |
| Unofficial names | Army Chief |
| Deputy | Chief of the General Staff |
| Salary | According to Pakistan military officer's pay grade (apex scale) |
| Website | Official website |
This is the senior-most appointment in the army and the officeholder serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, usually consulting the chiefs of the aerial and naval branches to act as a military adviser to the Prime Minister and the federal government in the line of defending the land borders of the country. The Chief of the Army Staff exercises responsibility of command and control of the operational, combatant, logistics, and training commands within the army.
The appointment, in principle, is constitutionally subjected to be for 5 years after the approval by the President on the recommendations of the Prime Minister. The COAS is based in the General Headquarters within the Rawalpindi Cantonment in Rawalpindi, Punjab. The incumbent COAS is Field Marshal Asim Munir, serving in this capacity since 29 November 2022.
Office of the Chief of the Army Staff
The designation of the Chief of the Army Staff was created from the previous title Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army in 1972.[citation needed] The Prime Minister approves the nomination and appointment of the Chief of Army Staff, with President confirming the Prime Minister's appointed choosing and nomination.
The army leadership is based in the GHQ whose functions are supervised by the Chief of Army Staff, assisted by the civilians from the Army Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Chief of Army Staff exercises the responsibility of complete operational, training and logistics commands.: 131 [self-published source?]
Typically, the Chief of Army Staff is a four-star full general. However, two Chiefs of Army Staff— Ayub Khan and Syed Asim Munir— were promoted to the five-star field marshal rank.
There are several principle staff officers (PSO) who assist in running the operations of the Army GHQ:
- Chief of General Staff
- Chief of Logistics Staff
- Inspector-General of Training and Evaluation (IGT&E)
- Inspector-General Communications and IT (IGC&IT)
- Inspector-General Arms (IG Arms)
- Engineer in Chief (E-in-C)
- Military Secretary (Mil Secy)
- Adjutant-General
- Quartermaster General (QMG)
List of Chiefs of the Army Staff
| No. | Portrait | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | General Tikka Khan HQA HJ SPk (1915–2002) | 3 March 1972 | 1 March 1976 | 3 years, 364 days | 2 Fd Regt Arty | |
| 02 | General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq GSM OHA ORM OSJ OIn OYS (1924–1988) | 1 March 1976 | 17 August 1988 | 12 years, 169 days | 13 Lancers | |
| 03 | General Mirza Aslam Beg NI(M) SBt (born 1928) | 17 August 1988 | 16 August 1991 | 2 years, 364 days | 16 Baloch | |
| 04 | General Asif Nawaz Janjua NI(M) SBt (1937–1993) | 16 August 1991 | 8 January 1993 † | 1 year, 145 days | 5 Punjab | |
| 05 | General Abdul Waheed Kakar NI(M) SBt (born 1937) | 11 January 1993 | 12 January 1996 | 3 years, 1 day | 5 FF / 27 AK | |
| 06 | General Jehangir Karamat NI(M) TBt (born 1941) | 12 January 1996 | 6 October 1998 | 2 years, 267 days | 13 Lancers | |
| 07 | General Pervez Musharraf NI(M) TBt (1943–2023) | 6 October 1998 | 29 November 2007 | 9 years, 53 days | 16 (SP) (The Dashing Sixteen) | |
| 08 | General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani NI(M) HI(C) (born 1952) | 29 November 2007 | 29 November 2013 | 6 years | 5 Baloch | |
| 09 | General Raheel Sharif NI(M) HI(M) (born 1956) | 29 November 2013 | 29 November 2016 | 3 years | 6 FF | |
| 10 | General Qamar Javed Bajwa NI(M) HI(M) (born 1960) | 29 November 2016 | 29 November 2022 | 6 years | 16 Baloch | |
| 11 | Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah NI(M) HJ HI(M) (born 1968) | 29 November 2022 | Incumbent | 3 years, 32 days | 23 FF |
See also
- Malacca Cane
- Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
- List of serving generals of the Pakistan Army
- Chief of the Air Staff (Pakistan)
- Chief of the Naval Staff (Pakistan)
- Chief of the General Staff (Pakistan)
- Military dictatorship in Pakistan
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