General Zubair in the saddle, Gen Bajwa takes command today

RAWALPINDI: General Zubair Mahmood Hayat on Monday took over as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

The change of command of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) ceremony will be held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) here on Tuesday.According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the newly-appointed COAS, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, will take over the command from General Raheel Sharif at the change of command ceremony.

General Raheel Sharif would hand over the command to General Bajwa on completion of his three-year tenure as COAS.Upon arrival at the Joint Staff Headquarters, Chaklala, the newly-appointed CJCSC was presented guard of honor by a contingent of the three services.

The outgoing chairman, General Rashad Mehmood, handed over the command to General Zubair at the ceremony attended by the newly-appointed Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and heads of other services.

Gen Zubair Mahmood Hayat was commissioned in the Artillery Regiment on October 24, 1980. He is a graduate of Fort Sill, Oklohoma, USA, Command and Staff College, Camberlay, United Kingdom, and National Defence University, Islamabad.

He has wide experience of command and instructional appointments.He has commanded an artillery regiment, mechanised division, artillery and infantry brigades and an infantry division.

Gen Zubair has been the Adjutant at the PMA, Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade, Army and Air adviser at the Pakistan Embassy in the United Kingdom.He has also been the Chief of Staff of a strike corps, Private Secretary to the COAS and Director General Staff Studies Directorate at the GHQ.

He has also held the appointment of Director General Strategic Plans Division (SPD).He has commanded 31 Corps, Bahawalpur, and was Chief of the General Staff at the GHQ before his appointment as the CJCSC.