Maj-Gen Azhar Waqas made DGMI

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army on Thursday made a reshuffle appointing Major General Azhar Waqas as Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI) and Major General Babar Iftikhar as DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), replacing Major General Asif Ghafoor.

Major General Waqas is currently the GOC Okara and will be replacing Major General Sarfraz Ali. Major General Asif Ghafoor will be taking over the 40th Infantry Division, Okara, as the General Officer Commanding (GOC).

Gen Ghafoor was appointed as Director General ISPR on December 26, 2016. "Thanks to everyone I have remained associated with during the tenure," Major General Asif Ghafoor wrote on Twitter. He especially thanked the media all across. Gen Asif said he could not thank fellow Pakistanis for their love and support. He also expressed the best wishes for his successor.

General Ghafoor was commissioned into the Pakistan Army on September 9, 1988 in the 87 Medium Regiment. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College, Quetta, Staff College Bandung (Indonesia), and the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad.

The general has served on various staff, instructional, and command assignments including Brigade Major Infantry Brigade, Assistant Military Secretary MS Branch, GHQ, Directing Staff Command & Staff College, Quetta, and Director Military Operations in Military Operations Directorate, GHQ.

Prior to his posting at the ISPR, Major General Babar Iftikhar was serving as GOC 1 Armored Division, Multan. He was atop the list of 37 brigadiers who were selected out of 987 one-star officers for promotion as Major General in June 2018. Major General Babar was commissioned in 6 Lancers of Armored Corps of Pakistan Army in 1990. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College Quetta, National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, and Royal Command Staff College, Jordan.

Besides teaching at the NDU, Major General Babar was also posted at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Kakul. As Brigadier, he also commanded armored and infantry brigades during the military operation Zarb-e-Azb.