Vice Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi will be succeeding Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah after President Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday approved his elevation to the office.

The incumbent CNS is going to complete his tenure on October 7.

Vice Adm Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, the CNS designate, will stand promoted to the rank of admiral from the date he assumes charge of the office.

Vice Adm Abbasi joined Pakistan Navy in January 1979 and undertook initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, UK. He was commissioned in the Navy in June 1981 after graduating from the Pakistan Naval Academy and being conferred the Sword of Honour.

He has had a distinguished career with wide-ranging command and staff experience. At sea, apart from commanding a Type-21 DDG PNS KHAIBAR and MCMV PNS MUJAHID, he commanded the 25th Destroyer Squadron.

He also has the distinct honour of having had five commands in the Flag Rank, that is as Commander Pakistan Fleet, Commander Coast, Commander Logistics, DG Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and Commander Multi National Combined Task Force 150 at HQ Combined Maritime Forces, Bahrain.

Ashore, he was the Fleet Torpedo and Anti Submarine Officer at Fleet Headquarters; Director Naval Warfare and Operational Plans; Assistance Chief of Naval Staff (Plans) and Chief Inspector (Navy), at the Naval Headquarters.

He has also commanded the Pakistan Naval Academy and was the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) prior to his present appointment as Chief of Staff at Naval Headquarters, Islamabad.

His academic qualifications include an MSc in War Studies from the National Defence University, Islamabad and an International Surface Warfare Officers course from USA. He also undertook a Command and Staff course in Australia and an Armed Forces War course at the National Defence University.

The announcement of his appointment as Chief of the Naval Staff was made on a summary initiated by the Ministry of Defence as per rules and regulations.

In 2014, Vice Adm Abbasi was appointed a fleet commander of the Pakistan Navy as Commander Pakistan Fleet with a three-star rank promotion. In the same year, he was in the race to be appointed a four-star admiral and take over command of the navy as its chief, alongside Vice Adm Khan Hasham bin Saddique and Vice Adm S.A. Hussaini.

However, the most senior admiral in the Navy, Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah, was instead promoted to the four-star appointment. He continued serving as the DCNS (Operations) at the Navy NHQ.

Vice Adm Abbasi took over charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff in June 2017.

The latest appointment has been made on a summary initiated by the Ministry of Defence as per rules and regulations.