General Qamar Javed Bajwa, CNS, PAF chief, others offer condolences on former naval chief’s death

ISLAMABAD: Admiral (R) Fasih Bokhari, former Chief of the Naval Staff and ex-chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), passed away here on Tuesday.

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, Chief of the Air Staff Mujahid Anwar Khan and other civil and military personalities have expressed heartfelt condolences on the demise of the former naval chief.

Admiral Bokhari served as the Chief of Naval Staff from taking over the Navy's command May 2, 1997 following forcible retirement of Mansurul Haq as the naval chief on corruption charges. Bokhari continued to serve as naval chief until deciding to tender resignation on October 02, 1999 voluntarily.

He was recipient of Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military), Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), Sitara-e Imtiaz (M), Sitara-e-Basalat and Sitara-e-Jurrat. In 2011, Bokhari was appointed as NAB chairman by President Asif Ali Zardari. However, 19 months later his appointment was set aside by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, then opposition leader in the National Assembly.

According to the Director General Public Relations (Navy) Rear Admiral M Arshid Javed, the Pakistan Navy’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi expressed condolences on Admiral Fasih Bokhari’s death.

Admiral Fasih was a retired four-star rank admiral in the Pakistan Navy who started serving as the Chief of Naval Staff in 1997. In 1959, he commissioned in the Pakistan Navy as a Midshipman and was sent to the Britannia Royal Naval College in the United Kingdom to complete his training. Upon returning to Pakistan in 1962, he was promoted as sub-lieutenant and inducted into the Submarine Command as a navigation officer. He served in the Ghazi and did short training on submarine operations at the Naval Academy in Turkey.