General (Pakistan)

General /pɑːkistɑːni/–/dʒɛnərəl/ (abbreviated as GEN or PAGEN) is a four-star commissioned general officer or military rank in the Pakistan Army, officially used by the Government of Pakistan to denote a supreme leader of army.[1][2] It is given to a three-star army officer (usually lieutenant general) upon promotion or possibly a position advancement with a basic pay scale of 22 (BPS-22).[3] It is the highest rank in armed services with NATO's equivalent-rank code of OF-9, immediately ranks above three-star lieutenant general and below five-star field marshal. Since it is denoted by a four-star rank, it is equivalent to the rank of admiral and air chief marshal.[4] The Pakistan army is led by a senior four-star general as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The army chief also serves as the senior member of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).[5] However, only four out of fourteen four-star generals have been appointed as chief of staff till date.[6] Army general is a powerful rank in the country designed to command security affairs with military leadership privileges.[7]

General
Insignia with crossed swords and laurel device of a four-star general
Illustration of a general with corresponding stars
Country	Pakistan
Service branch	Pakistan Army
Abbreviation	GEN, PAGEN
Rank	Four-star
Non-NATO rank	OF-9
Next higher rank	Field marshal
Next lower rank	Lieutenant general
Equivalent ranks	Admiral (Pakistan Navy) Air chief marshal (Pakistan Air Force)

The insignia of a four-star general consists shoulder stars, crossed swords and laurel device. The country's army is headed by two four-star generals with distinct positions, powers and responsibilities such as CJCSC incumbent and COAS incumbent.[8][9] The four-star general (COAS incumbent) the power to command the armed forces, to ask for the written opinion of the military, and to promote or dismiss other officers as commissioned by the army law.[10]

Appointment

Four-star generals go hand-in-hand with the associated office positions, so these ranks are not permanent, but stars remain unchanged if appointed to CJCSC or COAS. A four-star general is directly nominated for appointment by the President of Pakistan in a joint effort with the prime minister who plays a key role in promoting, appointing or reappointment of a general. The term of service or extension is usually decided as commissioned by the constitution.[11][12] In case, reappointment or service extension found ineligible or otherwise, the supreme court may rule the government order.[13]

Gallery

Flag of a four-star Admiral in Pakistan Navy

Insignia of a four-star Air chief marshal in Pakistan army

Insignia of admiral with crossed swords

References

1. "PAKISTAN AIR FORCE". Official website. 13 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
2. "IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN (Original Jurisdiction)" (PDF).
3. "Pak Army Ranks & Insignia - PAK ARMY - Pak Army".
4. "Pakistan Navy Official Website". www.paknavy.gov.pk.
5. "Qamar Javed Bajwa is Pakistan Army chief: All you need to know about Raheel Sharif's successor".
6. "Four of 13 army chiefs were senior-most when appointed".
7. Masood, Salman (28 January 2018). "Pakistan Army 'Has Greatly Increased its Clout' Under New Chief". The New York Times.
8. "Resentment over Pak army chief's extension".
9. "Prominent generals for top posts in 2019".
10. "Army chief ratifies life sentence for serving major over misuse of authority". 20 August 2019.
11. "Pakistan Prime Minister appoints new army chief; Qamar Bajwa to head the 5.50 lakh army". The Economic Times. 12 July 2018.
12. Khan, Feroz (7 November 2012). Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb. ISBN 9780804784801.
13. "Pakistan: Supreme Court suspends government's decision to extend Army chief General Bajwa's tenure".