Pakistan Army Reshuffle: Lt Gen Asim Bajwa Is Now Quetta’s Commander 

The Pakistan Army on Friday (29 September) announced a major reshuffle of three senior generals, including former director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa, who has been posted as corps commander southern command (Quetta).

The high-level transfers were announced after General John W Nicholson, the top United States commander in Afghanistan, claimed that the US was aware of Afghan Taliban leadership's presence in Peshawar and Quetta, adding that the military would continue to put pressure on Taliban sanctuaries inside and outside Afghanistan.

Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa replaced Lieutenant General Aamer Riaz, said Dawn quoting a statement issued by the ISPR, the army’s media wing.

Lieutenant General Riaz has been appointed Corps Commander Lahore, while Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali, who currently holds the position, has been posted as inspector general of the Arms Branch at General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, ISPR said.

Lieutenant General Ali will replace Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa, who was posted as the inspector general of the Arms Branch by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Lieutenant General Asim Bajwa remained the public face of the military for nearly four-and-a-half years, and was the first three-star general to hold the position.

He was succeeded as DG ISPR by Major General Asif Ghafoor, the current ISPR chief, in Dec 2016.

US President Donald Trump, in his first address as the commander-in-chief, called for greater troop deployment in Afghanistan while lambasting Pakistan for offering safe havens to “agents of chaos”.

The reshuffle in Pakistan army took place almost 10 months after army chief General Qamar Bajwa relocated 10 top commanders in December 2016, the Express Tribune reported. ANI