ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced the promotion of Lt Gen Aamer Raza to the rank of four-star general and his appointment as the Commander of the National Strategic Command (CNSC), placing him at the helm of the country’s strategic forces under a military command structure reshaped by recent constitutional reforms.
The announcement, made by the prime minister in a post on X, marks one of the most significant appointments since Pakistan overhauled its higher defence organisation through the 27th Constitutional Amendment last year.
Congratulating the newly promoted officer, Sharif expressed confidence in his leadership and wished him success in carrying out what he described as an “important responsibility”.
Raza had been serving as the Army’s Chief of General Staff, a key operational position responsible for overseeing military planning, intelligence coordination and operational preparedness.
During his military career, he has been decorated with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), one of the country’s highest military honours, as well as the Sitara-e-Basalat, awarded for acts of exceptional courage and distinguished service.
His elevation comes as Pakistan implements sweeping institutional changes aimed at consolidating command over its strategic and conventional military assets.
The National Strategic Command (NSC) was established under the constitutional amendment as part of a broader restructuring that replaced several long-standing positions within the country’s defence hierarchy.
Among the most consequential changes was the abolition of the office of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), which had historically served as the senior-most military appointment and exercised oversight of the country’s strategic forces.
The responsibilities associated with managing the country’s nuclear command architecture have now been transferred to the newly created Commander of the National Strategic Command.
Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza was the last officer to serve as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee before the position was dissolved under the new constitutional framework.
The amendment also created the office of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), establishing a unified command structure intended to streamline decision-making across the country’s armed services.
Under the revised legal framework, appointments, reappointments and extensions of the Commander of the National Strategic Command are to be made by the prime minister from among serving four-star Pakistan Army generals, acting on the recommendation of the Chief of the Army Staff, who also serves as the Chief of Defence Forces.
The legislation further grants extraordinary legal protection to the appointment process. It explicitly provides that any decision relating to the appointment, reappointment or extension of the CNSC – or the appointing authority’s exercise of discretion in making such decisions – cannot be challenged before any court on any grounds.
Under the law, the Commander of the National Strategic Command serves a three-year term, reflecting the government’s effort to establish continuity in the leadership of the country’s strategic command system while centralising military authority under the country’s restructured defence architecture.
Friday’s appointment represents the first major leadership transition under the revised command arrangement and underscores the government’s continuing implementation of the constitutional reforms that have fundamentally altered the country’s military chain of command.