ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army on Wednesday announced promotion of four major generals to lieutenant general.

“Those promoted include Major General Majid Ehsan, Major General Aamir Abbasi, Major General Abdullah Dogar, Major General Hamooduz Zaman,” the ISPR said.

There are 29 three-star generals in the army. The promotions follow the vacancies created by retirement of Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, ex-president of the National Defence University (NDU), who opted for a pre-mature retirement and Lt Gen Mazhar Jamil, former director general of the Special Plans Division (SPD).

Two of the four promoted generals have been posted to fill the vacant slots.

Gen Ehsan, who was serving as Vice Chief of General Staff at the General Staff Branch prior to his promotion, has been posted as NDU president.

Gen Abdullah Dogar, who was Commandant of the Pakistan Military Academy, has been, subsequent to his promotion, assigned command of the Multan Corps.

He replaces Lt Gen Sarfraz Sattar, who was earlier transferred to the SPD as director general. The SPD DG’s position fell vacant due to Gen Jamil’s retirement.

Gen Aamir Abbasi, Commandant of Command and Staff College, and Gen Hamooduz Zaman, Director General of Weapons and Equipment Directorate at the General Headquarters, will continue to hold the same positions.

Two major generals — Qaiser Abbas Shah, Commander of Log Area, Karachi, and Tariq Quddus, Director General of Counter-Terrorism at ISI — have been superseded.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2017