General (Pakistan)

Highest rank in Pakistan Army

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.
Rank| Four-star
Next higher rank| Field marshal
Next lower rank| Lieutenant General
Equivalent ranks| Admiral (Pakistan Navy)
Air chief marshal (Pakistan Air Force)

General /pɑːkistɑːni dʒɛnərəl/; Urdu: جنرل; abbreviated as GEN) is a four-star general officer rank of the Pakistan Army, officially used by the government of Pakistan to denote a supreme leader of the army.[1][2] It is given to an army general officer (usually a 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 the armed services, 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 a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC).[5] A new Chief of Army Staff is not always the most senior of the eligible generals; indeed, as of 2016, the new COAS has been the most senior candidate only four of fourteen times.[6] Army general is a powerful rank in the country designed to command security affairs with military leadership privileges.[7]

The insignia of a four-star general consists of shoulder stars, crossed swords and laurel device. The country's army is headed by two four-star officers, the COAS and the Chairman of the JCSC, with distinct positions, powers and responsibilities.[8][9] The COAS has 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]

Currently serving 4-star generals in Pakistan army are mentioned below:

Number  | Rank  | Name  | Position  | Decorations  |

|
|
|
|
|

1  | 4-Star General (BPS-APEX)  | Sahir Shamshad Mirza | Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC)  | Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military)

Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military)

| 8 Sind Regiment76 PMA Long Course

## Appointment

[edit]

Four-star rank goes hand-in-hand with the positions of JCSC member and COAS, so this rank is not permanent. A general is directly nominated for appointment to four-star rank 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 of an existing term of service) is usually decided as commissioned by the constitution.[11][12] In case the reappointment or service extension is found ineligible or otherwise unauthorized, the Supreme Court may overrule the government order.[13]

## See also

[edit]

* List of serving generals of the Pakistan Army

## References

[edit]

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". Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
4. ^ "Pakistan Navy Official Website". www.paknavy.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
5. ^ "Qamar Javed Bajwa is Pakistan Army chief: All you need to know about Raheel Sharif's successor". 27 November 2016.
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. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804784801.
13. ^ "Pakistan: Supreme Court suspends government's decision to extend Army chief General Bajwa's tenure". 26 November 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Military ranks and insignia by country

* List of comparative military ranks

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* DR Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with
limited recognition|

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Former|

* People's Republic of Angola
* Biafra
* Bophuthatswana
* Ciskei
* Kingdom of Egypt
* Ethiopian Empire
* Katanga
* People's Republic of Mozambique
* Rhodesia
* South West Africa
* Transkei
* Venda
* Zaire

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Apartheid States in Southern Africa

Americas|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Officers:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Enlisted:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Other:
* Marine Corps
* Space Force
* Warrant officer
* Opposing forces
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Former|

* Canada (pre-Unification)
* Confederate States of America
* Union
* Army
* Navy
* Costa Rica
* Republic of Cuba
* Empire of Brazil
* Panama
* Republic of Texas
* Army
* Navy
* United States Army enlisted
* World War I
* World War II

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* PR of China
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Rocket Force
* Armed Police
* India
* Army
* Air Force
* Navy
* Coast Guard
* Border Roads Organisation
* Paramilitary forces
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North
* South
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Marines
* Civil Armed Forces
* Maritime Security Agency
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan (Republic of China)

Former|

* Artsakh
* China
* Empire
* Republic (1912–1949)
* Dutch East Indies
* East Turkestan (Second Republic)
* People's Republic of Kampuchea
* Imperial Iran
* Imperial Japan
* Army
* Navy
* Korea
* Empire
* Liberation Army
* Kingdom of Laos
* Manchukuo
* Mengjiang
* Mongolian People's Republic
* Vietnam
* State
* South
* South Yemen
* Tibet
* Tuva

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Home Guard
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Army
* Navy
* Gendarmerie
* Air and Space Force
* Foresters
* Germany
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Land Forces
* Coast Guard
* Ireland
* Italy
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Carabinieri
* Finance Guard
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* North Macedonia
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Cossacks
* Between 1994 and 2010
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Officers:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Other:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Vatican

States with
limited recognition|

* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* Transnistria

Former|

* Albania
* Kingdom
* People's Socialist Republic
* Austria–Hungary
* Army
* Navy
* Bulgaria
* Kingdom
* People's Republic
* Independent State of Croatia
* Czechoslovakia
* German Empire
* Weimar Republic
* Nazi Germany
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* East Germany
* Kingdom of Greece
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* France
* Napoleonic Grand Army
* Hungary
* Kingdom
* People's Republic
* Italy
* Kingdom
* Social Republic
* Ottoman Empire
* Polish People's Republic
* Republika Srpska
* Romania
* Kingdom
* Socialist Republic
* Russian Empire
* White Movement
* Slovakia (First Republic)
* Soviet Union
* 1918–35
* 1935–40
* 1940–43
* 1943–55
* 1955–91
* Spain
* 2nd Republic
* State
* Yugoslavia
* Kingdom
* Socialist Federal Republic
* Federal Republic

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Oceania|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Tonga
* Vanuatu

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Language|

| Anglophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

|

Arabophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Francophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Gendarmerie
* Officers
* Enlisted

Hispanophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Lusophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Military police
* Officers
* Enlisted

Post-Soviet states|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Commonwealth of Nations|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

European Union|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

NATO|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air Force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Comparative ranks of

* Star ranking
* WWI
* Officers
* WWII
* Officers
* Women's services
* Marine forces
* Space forces
* Gendarmeries
* UK and US

* v
* t
* e

Pakistan Armed Forces

Military history of Pakistan

Leadership|

* Commander-in-Chief
* President of Pakistan
* Chief Executive
* Prime Minister of Pakistan
* Parliament
* Senate Committee on Defence
* National Assembly Committee on Defence
* Cabinet Committee on National Security
* National Security Council

| Ministers|

* Defence
* Secretary
* Defence Production

|

Joint Chiefs of Staff|

* Chairman
* Chief of Army Staff
* Chief of Air Staff
* Chief of Naval Staff

Services|

* Army
* Navy
* Marines
* Air Force

| Inter-Services|

* Intelligence
* Public Relations
* Selection Board
* National Command Authority
* Nursing Service
* Armed Forces Band

|

Paramilitary|

* Civil Armed Forces
* National Guard
* Strategic Plans Division Force

Personnel|

* Awards and decorations
* Women

| Ranks and insignia|

* Army
* Navy
* Marines
* Air Force

|

Business interests|

* Pakistani Defence Industry
* Defence Housing Authority

| Foundations|

* Fauji (Joint)
* Askari (Army)
* Bahria (Navy)
* Shaheen (Air Force)

|

Criticism|

* Establishment
* Gang of Four
* Bangladesh genocide

Categories (Army • Air Force • Navy)
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