President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday conferred the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) on General Aamer Raza, Commander of the National Strategic Command (CNSC), at an investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, services chiefs and senior military and government officials attended the ceremony.
The award follows President Zardari’s approval on July 31 for the conferment of the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) on Gen Raza, recognising his services to the country. Gen Raza was promoted to the rank of four-star general in July and appointed as the first Commander of the National Strategic Command. His appointment came as part of a major restructuring of Pakistan’s military command system following the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
The amendment abolished the office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and transferred its strategic responsibilities, including the nuclear management role, to the newly established National Strategic Command. Before his elevation, Gen Raza served as Chief of General Staff, one of the Pakistan Army’s principal operational appointments. In that position, he oversaw organisational changes arising from the constitutional amendment and subsequent restructuring of the military.
He also played a role in implementing changes following last year’s conflict with India, including the establishment of the Army Rocket Force Command. Gen Raza has had a long operational and command career. A cavalry officer commissioned into the 6th Lancers in 1988 after graduating from the Officers Training School, he has commanded an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade, an infantry brigade in South Waziristan, an infantry division and Lahore-based IV Corps.He has also headed Heavy Industries Taxila and served as Director General Weapons and Equipment as well as Chief of Staff at II Corps.
The general has previously received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-i-Basalat, or Star of Valour, for his services. Notably, Gen Raza’s career has largely been rooted in conventional military operations and force development. Unlike some officers associated with Pakistan’s strategic establishment, he has not previously served in the Strategic Plans Division, Army Strategic Forces Command or the country’s strategic missile programme.
His appointment as CNSC therefore represents a significant new responsibility, placing him at the centre of Pakistan’s reorganised strategic command structure. The conferment of the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) comes shortly after his elevation to the four-star rank and assumes added significance as Pakistan continues to implement the military command changes introduced under the 27th Constitutional Amendment.
