ISLAMABAD: The army selection board at a meeting presided over by Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday approved elevation of 19 brigadiers to the major-general rank.

The promoted officers included those who were commissioned in the Pakistan Army during 1983-84. Two of them are from armoured corps, two from artillery, eight from infantry, three from medical corps, and one each from corps of military intelligence, army supply corps, air defence and engineering corps.

The selection board was assisted at the meeting by GHQ Military Secretary Lt-Gen Mohsin Kamal.

The promoted brigadiers are: Umar Farooq Durrani (Armoured Corps), Ahmed Mahmood Hayat (Armoured Corps), Tariq Masood Malik (Artillery), Tahir Javed (Artillery), Nazir Ahmed Butt (Frontier Force), Mazhar Saleem Khan (Punjab Regiment), Mohammad Jaffar (Frontier Force), Najamul Hasan Shah (Sindh Regiment – currently posted as Chief of Staff at 10 Corps), Ghulam Qamar (Frontier Force), Ali Abbas Haider (Baloch Regiment), Amir Riaz (Frontier Force – at present posted at Brigade Commander 111 Brigade), Abid Rafeeq (Punjab Regiment), Asif Khatak (CMI), Jameel Rehmat Vance (ASC), Saleem Raza (AD), Malik Muhammad Abbas (CMH), Syed Badshah Hussain Zaidi (CMH), Shahab Naqvi (CMH) and Muhammad Junaid (EME).

The number of serving major-generals in the army is about 150.

Four lieutenant-generals are set to retire next month. Their retirement will be preceded by promotions of major-generals to fill vacancies. The retirements and promotions will lead to a reshuffle in the command.

The retiring officers are: Lt-Gen Javed Zia, Commander Southern Command, Quetta; Lt-Gen Shujaat Zamir Dar, Chairman of Pakistan Ordnance Factories, Wah; Lt-Gen Mohsin Kamal, Military Secretary of GHQ; and Lt-Gen Jamil Haider, Commander of Army Strategic Forces Command.