A special ceremony was held at Joint Staff Headquarters on Wednesday to bid farewell to the country’s last Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who has completed 40 years of service, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

Gen Mirza’s tenure as CJCSC will end on November 27 (tomorrow), as the office will be abolished as per the recent 27th Constitutional Amendment. He has conducted farewell visits to both civilian and military leadership in the past several days.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the outgoing CJCSC was presented with a guard of honour by a contingent comprising personnel from the three services. The event was attended by former CJCSCs and senior military officers from the army, navy and air force.

“In his address, the outgoing CJCSC expressed gratitude to Allah Almighty for granting him the strength to perform his duties with dedication, professionalism and selfless devotion,” the statement read, adding that he paid tribute to the armed forces and martyrs for their sacrifices.

“He (Gen Mirza) highlighted that in the current geo-strategic environment, strong national defence is an essential pillar of national security and reaffirmed that the nation’s defence remains impregnable and our valiant officers and soldiers stand ever-ready to make it even more formidable,” the ISPR said.

Abolition of the CJCSC office

Earlier this month, the national security establishment was restructured through an amendment in Article 243 of the Constitution and the subsequent changes in the legislation governing the Army, Air Force and Navy.

The legislation also abolished the office of CJCSC, the tri-service post designed to maintain institutional balance and coordination within the armed forces.

The dissolution of the chairman’s office, effective November 27, would formally end nearly five decades of joint-service representation in armed forces decision-making, at least during wartime.