US welcomes Pakistans new military leadership

ISLAMABAD: The United States has welcomed the appointments of General Qamar Javed Bajwa as new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and General Zubair Hayat as new Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).

According to a statement by US Embassy on Monday, the country is looking forward to continuing their work with Pakistans elected militarty leaders and with the Pakistani military to advance out shared counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism goals for Pakistan and the region and to enable Pakistani authorities to honour their pledge to prevent the use of Pakistans soil for terrorist attacks against its neighbors, ARY News reported.

The US also congratulated General Zubair Hayat on being appointed as the new Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Committee and recognized the dedicated service of General Rashad Mahmood.

Bajwa's appointment comes at a time when relations between India and Pakistan are under stress amid prolonged cross-border shelling along their international border.

General Raheel Sharif will hand over command of the army to Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on November 29 after completing tenure of three years.

General Qamar Javed Bajwa was named as the 16th Chief of Army Staff by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday. He will take command of the Pakistan Army from incumbent Army Chief General Raheel Sharif on November 29.